This textbook is designed for first-time students of politics. It provides an ideal introduction and survey to the key themes and issues central to the study of democratic politics today.

The text is structured around three major parts: concepts, institutions and political behaviour; and ideologies and movements. Within each section a series of short and accessible chapters serve to both introduce the key ideas, institutional forms and ideological conflicts central to the study of democratic politics and provide a platform for further, in-depth studies.

Each chapter contains a ′bullet-point′ summary, a guide to further reading, and a set of questions for tutorial discussion. Designed and written for an undergraduate readership, Understanding Democratic Politics: An Introduction will become an essential guide and companion to all students of politics throughout their university degree.

Read more
Understanding Democratic Politics
PART ONE: CONCEPTS Sovereignty - Roland Axtmann Constitutionalism - Neil Walker Human Rights and Democracy - David Beetham Justice, Equality, Liberty - Vittorio Bufacchi Power, Authority, Legitimacy - Noël O′Sullivan Representative and Direct Democracy - Michael Saward Majoritarianism - Thomas O Hueglin Consociationalism Pluralism - Judith Squires Difference Civil Society - Roland Axtmann National and Global Class - Roland Axtmann and Robert Grant Elites PART TWO: INSTITUTIONS AND POLITICAL BEHAVIOUR The Territorial State - Michael Keating Government, Civil Service and Public Policies - Grant Jordan and Emma Clarence Parliaments - David Arter Parties and Party Systems - Byron Criddle Elections and Electoral Systems - Michael Dyer Interest Groups - Wyn Grant Social Movements - Lynn G Bennie Political Participation - George Moyser Social Capital - William A Maloney and Linda Stevenson The Welfare State and Democracy - Michael Lister and Daniel Wincott Cyber-democracy - Peter Ferdinand Democratic Citizenship in the Age of Globalization - Roland Axtmann PART THREE: IDEOLOGIES AND MOVEMENTS Liberalism - Antonino Palumbo Conservatism - Arthur Aughey Socialism - Terrell Carver Marxism Anarchism and Democracy - Patricia Clark and Sharif Gemie Nationalism - Alain Dieckhoffx Contemporary Right-Wing Extremism - Anders Widfeldt Feminism - Kimberly Hutchings Environmentalism - John Barry Democracy and the Islamist Paradox - Abdelwahab El-Affendi Cosmopolitanism - Nicholas Rengger
Read more

Product details

ISBN
9780761971832
Published
2003-02-17
Publisher
SAGE Publications Inc
Weight
670 gr
Height
246 mm
Width
189 mm
Age
U, 05
Language
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Number of pages
340

Edited by

Biographical note

After his PhD at the London School of Economics, Roland taught at the University of Aberdeen for 16 years. Roland joined the Department in 2005 as a Professor of Politics and International Relations. He held visiting appointments at Heidelberg University (Germany); Karl-Franzens University Graz (Austria); University of California, Los Angeles; and Deakin University, Melbourne. In 2011, he was a visiting professor at the University of Queensland in Brisbane (Australia). Currently, he is a visiting fellow at the Sydney Democracy Initiative at Sydney University.