Politics

This best-selling textbook continues to lead the way in providing an approachable and wide-ranging introduction to politics. It covers the key concepts, theories and debates, actors and institutions that drive politics, exploring their application and relevance to contemporary political developments. This sixth edition's new co-author, Matthew Laing, builds on previous editions and provides significant revisions to chapters covering populism, elections, global policing, security and governance, race and gender in politics, and law and the media to reflect rapidly changing global practice and scholarship. Brand new global examples and a range of tried-and-tested pedagogical tools, including Key Thinker profiles, Politics in Action features and debating boxes, allow students to develop nuanced responses to political issues. Carefully designed and written to map onto degree curricula, it remains the go-to text for undergraduate introductory and comparative politics courses. It can also be used as pre-course reading or as a point of reference for politics majors or minors. New to this edition: - The popular Politics in Action features have been updated with new case studies to reflect the latest political developments, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the persistent rise of populism, the climate emergency, China's continuing emergence as a world power and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. - A re-worked chapter on global political regimes, with new emphasis on flawed democracies, hybrid regimes and democratic backsliding in the modern world. - A greater diversity of illustrative examples from around the world, with many more case studies and analyses drawn from Africa, Asia and Latin America. Updated and free-to-use online resources that support teaching and learning can be found at bloomsburyonlineresources.com/politics-6e , featuring flashcards, a glossary, additional cases, interactive simulations and weblinks for students, and for lecturers PowerPoint slides, a testbank and a guide to using the book. Cover Title Page Copyright Brief Contents Contents List of Illustrative Material Preface to the Sixth Edition Using This Book Guide to Key Features Guide to the Companion Website 1. What is Politics? Preview Key issues Defining politics Politics as the art of government Politics as public affairs Politics as compromise and consensus Politics as power Studying politics Approaches to the study of politics The philosophical tradition The empirical tradition Behaviouralism Rational-choice theory New institutionalism Critical approaches Concepts, models and theories Politics in a global age Beyond the domestic/international divide? Questions for discussion Further reading 2. Political Ideas and Ideologies Preview Key issues What is political ideology? Classical ideological traditions Liberalism Conservatism Socialism Other ideological traditions Anarchism Fascism Feminism Green ideology Religious fundamentalism Populism Questions for discussion Further reading 3. Politics and the State Preview Key issues Defining the state Origins and development of the state Approaches to the state Debating the state Rival theories of the state The role of the state Eclipse of the state? Return of the state? Questions for discussion Further reading 4. Democracy and Legitimacy Preview Key issues Legitimacy and political stability Legitimizing power Legitimation crises and revolutions Democratic legitimacy Is democracy failing to deliver? Non-democratic legitimacy Democracy Understanding democracy Models of democracy Democracy in practice: rival views Towards cosmopolitan democracy? Questions for discussion Further reading 5. Regimes and Political Systems Preview Key issues Classifying political systems Why classify political regimes? Classical typologies The ‘three worlds’ typology Contemporary political systems Full democracies Flawed democracies Non Western democracies Hybrid regimes Authoritarian regimes Questions for discussion Further reading 6. Nations and Nationalism Preview Key issues What is a nation? Nations as cultural communities Nations as political communities Nationalist politcs Liberal nationalism Conservative nationalism Expansionist nationalism Anti-colonial and postcolonial nationalism The future of nationalism A world of nation-states Beyond nationalism? Questions for discussion Further reading 7. Political Economy and Globalization Preview Key issues Political economy Approaches to political economy Varieties of capitalism Enterprise capitalism Social capitalism State capitalism Managed or unmanaged capitalism? Globalization Understanding globalization Neoliberalism in crisis? Backlash against globalization Questions for discussion Further reading 8. Politics, Society and Identity Preview Key issues Politics and society From industrialism to postindustrialism Decline of class politics New technology and the ‘information society’ No such thing as society? Identity politics Rise of identity politics Race and ethnicity Culture and diversity Gender and identity Religion and politics Questions for discussion Further reading 9. Political Culture and the Media Preview Key issues Political culture Approaches to political culture Political culture in crisis The media and politics Theories of the media Impact of the traditional media Social media and politics Post-truth politics? Politics and truth The drift towards anti-intellectualism Questions for discussion Further reading 10. Representation, Elections and Voting Preview Key issues Representation Theories of representation Elections Functions of elections Electoral systems: debates and controversies What do elections mean? Voting behaviour Theories of voting Questions for discussion Further reading 11. Parties and Party Systems Preview Key issues Party politics Classifying parties Functions of parties Party organization: where does power lie? Party systems One-party systems Dominant-party systems Two-party systems Multi-party systems A crisis of party politics? Questions for discussion Further reading 12. Groups, Interests and Movements Preview Key issues Group politics Types of group Models of group politics Patterns of group politics ‘New’ social movements Questions for discussion Further reading 13. Constitutions, Law and Judges Preview Key issues Constitutions Nature and origins The purpose of a constitution Do constitutions matter? The law Law, morality and politics The question of international law The judiciary Are judges political? Do judges make policy? Questions for discussion Further reading 14. Political Executives and Leadership Preview Key issues Role of the executive What is the executive? Functions of political executives Power in the executive: who leads? Presidential systems Parliamentary systems Semi-presidential systems Cabinets Leaders and leadership Leadership: its fall and rise? Theories of leadership Populism and leadership Questions for discussion Further reading 15. Legislatures Preview Key issues Role of legislatures Parliamentary, presidential and semi-presidential systems Functions of legislatures Structure of legislatures Unicameralism or bicameralism? Committee systems Performance of legislatures Do legislatures make policy? Legislatures in decline? The rise of legislatures? Questions for discussion Further reading 16. Public Policy and the Bureaucracy Preview Key issues The policy process Theories of decision-making Stages in the policy process Role of the bureaucracy Functions of the bureaucracy Organization of the bureaucracy Bureaucratic power: out of control? Sources of bureaucratic power How can bureaucrats be controlled? Questions for discussion Further reading 17. Multilevel Politics Preview Key issues Politics, territory and multilevel governance Subnational politics Federal systems Unitary systems Transnational regionalism Regionalism: its nature and growth European regionalism Questions for discussion Further reading 18. International and Domestic Security Preview Key issues Security beyond boundaries? Domestic security The police and politics The military and domestic politics International security Approaches to international politics New security challenges Human security Questions for discussion Further reading 19. World Order and Global Governance Preview Key issues Twenty-first-century world order The ‘new world order’ and its fate The ‘war on terror’ and beyond From unipolarity to multipolarity? Global governance Rise of global governance Global economic governance The united nations Questions for discussion Further reading 20. Is Politics Broken? Preview Key issues A crisis of ‘anti-politics’? Declining political engagement? The politics of ‘anti-politics’ Why we hate politics Uninspiring party politics Declining capacity to deliver The ‘wrong’ politicians Media negativity Growth of consumerist politics Mending politics? More democracy Scaling down politics Reviving citizenship Rebuilding equality Questions for discussion Further reading Bibliography Index