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Imagine Doing Better

Name: Imagine Doing Better
Brand: JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY PRESS
SKU: 9781421452869
Price: 62.99 AUD
Availability: InStock

JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY PRESSISBN: 9781421452869

Why Policies Backfire and How Prevention Thinking Can Change Everything

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$62.99

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By Paul J. Fleming
Imprint: JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY PRESS
Release Date: January 14, 2026
Format: HARDBACK
Dimensions: 229 x 152 mm
Weight:
Pages: 296

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A bold vision for reimagining harmful public policies through prevention.

Public policies in the United States are built on certain assumptions: that long-term prison sentences deter crime, that corporate profits benefit everyone, that police are the best way to ensure safety, and that meritocracy ensures equal opportunity. Yet, as public health expert Paul J. Fleming reveals, mountains of evidence show that many of these widely accepted policies cause harm, perpetuate inequities, and even lead to premature death.

In Imagine Doing Better, Fleming offers a bold vision for change thats rooted in public health principles of prevention—addressing problems at their root before they occur. Combining rigorous research, historical analysis, and compelling narratives, he examines the deep flaws in policies governing health care, education, justice, and the environment. Fleming unpacks how these systems were built, why harmful assumptions persist, and how they can be reimagined to promote equity, sustainability, and human dignity. Fleming challenges readers to rethink entrenched ideas by exploring thought-provoking questions like "Are prisons a good investment?" and "Is education a ladder or a sieve?". He highlights how budgets and policies reflect moral choices, and he provides frameworks for advocacy and policymaking grounded in evidence and fairness.

Fleming paints a hopeful—yet urgent—picture of whats possible when societies invest in solutions that prioritize human dignity, equity, and sustainability. Accessible and inspiring, Imagine Doing Better offers a hopeful roadmap to a future where all communities have the resources and opportunities to thrive.

Paul J. Fleming is an associate professor of public health at the University of Michigan.

Table of Contents

Preface: What will our great-great-great-great-great grandchildren say?

Imagination: Gaining a New Perspective

1. Possibilities

2. Roots

Reflection: The trees we have and the forest we need

3. Better healthcare: Is healthcare like kindergarten or like soybeans?

4. Better environment: Can we thrive in a burning world?

5. Better education: Are schools a ladder or a sieve?

6. Better justice: Are prisons a good investment?

7. Better public safety: What makes us feel safe?

8. Looking Back to Look Forward

Action: How to transform an environment

9. Getting to prevention-minded public policy

10. Where we transform, ourselves

11. Where we transform, our communities

12. How we transform

13. What we transform

Written with precision, passion, and moral clarity. This is a book to help us see our world more clearly and envision the better one we might build.

—Sandro Galea, author of Within Reason: A Liberal Public Health for an Illiberal Time

In Imagine Doing Better, Paul J. Fleming calls for a bold shift from reactive fixes to prevention-focused policy that addresses root causes. He blends research, personal insight, and a call to action. Grounded in evidence and empathy, this is essential reading for changemakers and all who seek a just world.

—Brian C. Castrucci, de Beaumont Foundation

Paul Flemings book is an invitation to reject the status quo and radically right-size systems to minimize harm. Reflection and response are daily practices in how we care for others, building muscle memory for justice movements. This is an excellent guide for chaotic times and a reminder to dream beyond the challenges ahead.

—Linh Song, former City Councilmember, Ann Arbor

If we successfully set a welcoming table for all, what might we do while seated there? How might we set a new agenda, organize a meaningful dialogue, and advance a healing strategy? Dr. Flemings work beckons, and I plan to take a seat and prepare for the courageous journey he offers.

—Renée Branch Canady, author of Room at the Table: a Leaders Guide for Advancing Health Equity and Justice

Paul Fleming forces us to ask big questions. What might the world look like if we invest in understanding why bad things happen and prevent them from happening—rather than waiting until its too late? Flemings thinking is urgent, and we should pay attention.

—Abdul El-Sayed, candidate for U.S. Senate and former Executive Director of the Detroit Health Department

Imagine Doing Better

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