Foundations of comparative politics
By: Kenneth Newton, Jan W. van Deth.
Contributors: Deth, Jan W. van.
Edition: 2nd ed.
Series: Cambridge textbooks in comparative politics
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2009
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
ISBN-13: 9780521199889
Subjects: Democracy; Comparative government; Representative government and representation
Description: "This student-friendly introduction to the key theories and concepts of comparative politics now provides even broader coverage of the world's democracies, with examples drawn from across the globe. Foundations of Comparative Politics contains a wealth of information, clearly structured and easy to read, with clear definition of Key Terms. It covers all the important themes in the field, including constitutional design and institutions; mass and elite politics; policy-making and implementation; and the future of the state and democracy in a globalising world. A new chapter on studying comparative politics, and new What Have We Learned? and Lessons of Comparison summary sections help students pull together the lessons of each chapter. Combining facts and theory throughout, debate is stimulated through the use of Controversy boxes, and Fact Files and Briefings give students interesting data that illustrates the key issues in the text. Online resources, including MCQs and Powerpoint slides, complete the package"--Provided by publisher.
Table of contents: title: Machine generated contents note: Introduction: why comparative government?; Part I. The State: Origins and Development: 1. The development of the modern state; 2. States and democracy; 3. Democratic change and persistence; Part II. The Polity: Structures and Institutions: 4. Constitutions; 5. Presidential and parliamentary government; 6. Multi-level government: international, national and sub-national; 7. Policy making and legislating: executives and legislatures; 8. Implementation: the public bureaucracy; Part III. Citizens, Elites and Interest Mediation: 9. Political attitudes and behaviour; 10. Pressure groups and social movements; 11. The mass media; 12. Voters and elections; 13. Party government; Part IV. Policies and Performance: 14. Political ideologies: conservatism, liberalism, Christian democracy and socialism; 15. Decision making; 16. Defence and security; 17. Welfare; 18. The future of the democratic state; Postscript: how and what to compare.