The second edition of this comprehensive introduction to politics remains an essential framework for assessing the health and workings of present-day democracy. The book explores how democratic processes bring public policy into line with popular, basically centrist, preferences. In helping explain its workings, it equips us to better defend democracy.Applying newly integrated theories of democratic processes to contemporary developments such as the use of right-wing populism acros...

Eminent political economists Ian Budge and Paul Whiteley make a forceful case for bringing the state back into economic planning for better economic and political outcomes. They do so primarily by calling attention to the shortcomings of axiomatic, neoclassical economic theorizing, which makes normative assumptions about how economic actors ought to behave without considering how they actually behave thanks largely to the influence of advertisers and poli...

First published in 1983, Explaining and Predicting Elections is the first cross-national and comprehensive explanation of election results. It considers why one election differs from another and attempts to account for party gains and losses in the elections which have taken place in twenty-three democracies in the post-war period. Budge and Farlie base their study on a radically new view of party behaviour—Parties not arguing or debating over the same issues but ‘talking past eac...

With drastic action needing to be taken now, rather than over the 30 years to 2050, this book addresses the crucial question of how to get action from governments who will always put short-term considerations (e.g. post Covid economic growth) over longer term climate priorities – unless forced to do otherwise.How might governments be persuaded to implement policies that will result in effective action? And how can this be achieved at an international, as well as national, level? Th...

Examines the state of the British political system during the 1990s covering such areas as: economic difficulties and government response; bureaucratic networks; parties and electors; political communications; and relations with outside governments.

The New British Politics is one of the most comprehensive and successful introductions to British politics ever published. Now available in a fully revised and updated fourth edition, this clear, lively and authoritative text has an emphasis on law and order and the historical context of British politics. Written by internationally-known specialists, the book combines incisive and original analysis with direct presentation.

A pioneering textbook which explains the dynamics of politics across Europe in the post-Cold war era. Comparing democratisation, transition to a market economy and increasing economic and political integration in the countries of central and eastern Europe with experiences in Scandinavia, and southern and western Europe, the book provides a wealth of information and analysis on the state of Europe at the end of a momentous century of European and World history.

Most Canadians know that Stephen Harper has had a tremendous impact on the country since becoming prime minister in 2006. But few have the in-depth knowledge of how far his transformation has gone -- what has already been done, and what the consequences will be in the future.This book brings together Canadian experts in a wide variety of areas. They document key changes put in place by the Harper government. There have been dramatic changes in education, health care, women's rights...

From Athens to New York, recent mass movements around the world have challenged austerity and authoritarianism with expressions of real democracy. For more than forty years, Murray Bookchin developed these democratic aspirations into a new left politics based on popular assemblies, influencing a wide range of political thinkers and social movements.With a foreword by the best-selling author of The Dispossessed, Ursula K. Le Guin, The Next Revolution brings togethe...

For years, the prospect of parliamentary reform has been a hot-button issue in Canada. More and more Canadians find themselves frustrated with how Parliament works (or doesn't) and end up increasingly checked out from politics as a whole, feeling like their voices don't matter to those in power.When he introduced the "Reform Act" bill in 2013, Conservative MP Michael Chong brought the issue of parliamentary reform to the forefront, proposing changes that would empower MPs and hold ...

Global inequality doesn’t just exist; it has been created.More than four billion people—some 60 percent of humanity—live in debilitating poverty, on less than $5 per day. The standard narrative tells us this crisis is a natural phenomenon, having to do with things like climate and geography and culture. It tells us that all we have to do is give a bit of aid here and there to help poor countries up the development ladder. It insists that if poor countries ...

Winner of the Political Book of the Year Award 2015The UK Independence Party (UKIP) is the most significant new party in British politics for a generation. In recent years UKIP and their charismatic leader Nigel Farage have captivated British politics, media and voters. Yet both the party and the roots of its support remain poorly understood. Where has this political revolt come from? Who is supporting them, and why? How are UKIP attempting to win over voters? And ...