Derek Bok

I was not too impressed with this book. Maybe it is because I am an experienced teacher, and I have been in higher education long enough to see the points Bok is making about complacency in academia and the entrenched conservative ways that prevent change. After reading for a while, you can easily end up despairing at a system that pretty much refuses to change while the rest of the world is at the gates besieging them. Some of what he writes I have seen elsewhere in bits and pieces. The fact is that the graduates of our colleges are underachieving, and they are doing so where it matters. Lack of moral values, critical thinking skills, communication skills, civic responsibility, so on. They are just not learning it in college, and yet college should be the place to be learning all this and more in order to become a well-rounded person and a productive citizen able to participate in society. Indeed, reading this book may drive some to despair, but maybe someone will actually read it and think of ways to gradually bring about some change. At least, I'd like to think so.… (more)

In this book, Derek Bok does an incredible job of laying out the shortcomings in undergraduate education. However, he does this without failing to acknowledge the good being achieved. As a former college president Dr. Bok speaks from a position of authority on the subject. The problems he identifies he backs up with thorough, thought provoking research. He does not just leave the problems as they stand but offers helpful, realistic suggestions for improvement. The greatest strenght of Dr. Bok's book is that he appreciates the complexity of the problem. The issues he raises as well as the solutions he proposes are not simplistic answers to superficial issues. This book is a must read for anyone involved in education. On top of all that, it is well written and thus a pleasure to read. In fact, I recommend it for anyone who enjoys reading a well written book.… (more)

What would a government do if its highest aim was the happiness of it's citizens? Wow, that's radical! Derek Bok has taken on this question with his usual wise and careful scholarship. His answer is convincing. I am ready to sign up for the National Happiness Party and nominate Derek Bok for president.

Bok's question is not in the least theoretical. In fact, the tiny nation of Brunei has made the happiness of its citizens its top priority. how does this work as a practical matter? The basic test for proposed policy is whether it contributes to the Gross National Happiness as opposed to the Gross Domestic Product. Conservatives at this point are muttering into their Wall Street Journals that without a vibrant economy we will all suffer a drastic decline in happiness. Not so fast, says Bok. Maybe the idea of continuous economic expansion is equally or more problematic, given it's cyclical nature and resultant environmental degradation.

What Bok is doing here is reframing how we think about the role of government to be more citizen-centric. His ideas serve as an alternative theory of what government is for. Regardless of one's political views, everyone who cares about governance or happiness should read this book.… (more)