Politics in a Changing World

by Ethridge, Marcus E.; Handelman, Howard

• ISBN13: 9781111832537
• ISBN10: 1111832536
• Edition: 6th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-01-01
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing

Summary

Providing a foundation for a comparative understanding of political life, POLITICS IN A CHANGING WORLD includes in-depth chapters on political science concepts (ideology, political culture, interest groups, governmental institutions, parties) followed by a series of brief country studies. The concepts and country studies help students acquire a better understanding of the actors and institutions that play a part in diverse political systems, how and why they act in relation to one another, and what their actions mean for the political system and its citizens. The Sixth Edition is thoroughly updated throughout, including coverage of the global economic crisis, the 2010 midterm elections in the US, the Conservative Party-Liberal Democratic Party coalition and the victory of a new Conservative Prime Minister in Great Britain, and the democratic upheavals in Egypt and elsewhere in the Arab world.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. viii
About the Authors	p. xiv
Fundamentals	p. 1
Politics, Government, and Political Science	p. 1
Politics and Government Defined	p. 6
Government Functions	p. 8
Kinds of Governments	p. 10
The Stakes of Politics	p. 13
Politics in a Changing World	p. 22
Conclusion: Why Study Political Science?	p. 25
Ideologies: Images of Political Life	p. 28
Liberalism and Conservatism	p. 29
Capitalism	p. 36
Marxism	p. 39
The Political Relevance of Marxist Ideology	p. 40
Socialism	p. 41
Other Ideologies	p. 44
Conclusion: Ideology Shapes Political Community and Political Conflict	p. 50
Political Behavior	p. 53
Political Culture and Socialization	p. 54
Political Culture: Origins of the Concept	p. 56
Agents of Political Socialization	p. 58
Classifying Political Cultures	p. 64
The Evolution of Political Cultures	p. 69
Conclusion: The Utility of Political Culture	p. 76
Public Opinion and Elections	p. 79
Influences on Public Opinion and Voting Choice	p. 80
Voter Turnout	p. 95
The Electoral Process and Campaign Money	p. 100
Electoral Systems	p. 102
Public Opinion Polling	p. 108
Conclusion: Elections and Public Opinion-The People's Voice?	p. 109
Political Parties	p. 113
What Are Political Parties?	p. 115
The Functions of Political Parties	p. 115
The Origins of Political Parties	p. 122
Party Systems	p. 122
Types of Political Parties	p. 127
Conclusion: Parties in a Changing World	p. 136
Interest Groups	p. 142
Interest Groups: What They Are and How They Work	p. 143
The Power of Interest Groups	p. 155
The Growth of Interest Groups	p. 159
How Interest Groups Are Formed	p. 160
Conclusion: Interest Groups-A Challenge for Democracy?	p. 165
Political Institutions	p. 167
Legislative Institutions	p. 168
Lawmaking	p. 169
Legislatures: Features, Functions, and Structure	p. 170
Representation	p. 182
Party Responsibility and Legislative Behavior	p. 183
The Changing Role of Modern Legislatures	p. 186
Executive Institutions, Political Leadership, and Bureaucracy	p. 189
The Functions of Executive Institutions	p. 190
Kinds of Executive Institutions	p. 195
Limits on Executive Power	p. 197
Approaches to Executive Leadership	p. 200
Bureaucratic Institutions	p. 204
What Is Bureaucracy?	p. 205
Bureaucratic Functions	p. 207
The Growth of Bureaucracy	p. 208
Bureaucracy Evaluated	p. 210
Bureaucracy and Democracy	p. 212
Can Bureaucracy Be Improved?	p. 216
Executives and Bureaucracies-From Policy Leadership to Policy Implementation	p. 218
Judicial Institutions	p. 221
Judicial Functions	p. 221
Justice and the Political System	p. 223
Kinds of Law	p. 226
Judicial Institutions: Structure and Design	p. 230
Judicial Decisions and Public Policy	p. 235
Perspectives on Judicial Policy Making	p. 236
Politics in Selected Nations	p. 243
Some Critical Approaches and Issues	p. 244
Great Britain and the United States: Developed Democracies	p. 245
Russia and China: Past and Present Communist Giants	p. 245
Mexico: A Developing Nation	p. 246
U.S. Government: The Dilemmas of Democracy	p. 247
The Founding Period	p. 248
Governmental Institutions	p. 252
Participation in U.S. Politics	p. 272
U.S. Politics: Prospects and Challenges	p. 275
Great Britain: A Traditional Democracy	p. 286
The Relevance of British Politics	p. 286
Contemporary British Society and Political Culture	p. 289
Political Parties and Voting	p. 294
Interest Groups	p. 301
The Structure of Government	p. 303
Public Policy and the British Economy	p. 307
Conclusion: Great Britain in the Twenty-First Century	p. 310
Russia: From Authoritarianism to Democracy and Back	p. 314
The Relevance of the Russian Experience	p. 314
The Rise and Fall of Soviet Communism	p. 317
The Birth of a New Political System	p. 324
Restructuring the Economy	p. 332
Russia in the Early Years of the Twenty-First Century: The Putin Presidency and Beyond	p. 336
The Concentration of Political Power	p. 338
Conclusion: The Transition to Democracy Derailed	p. 345
China: Searching for a New Vision	p. 355
The Relevance of Chinese Politics	p. 356
The Chinese Revolution and Its Origins	p. 358
The Evolution of Chinese Politics and Society	p. 360
Reforming the Chinese Economy	p. 363
China's Political System	p. 371
Conclusion: China's Uncertain Future	p. 385
The Politics of Developing Nations	p. 394
The Meaning of Underdevelopment	p. 395
Theories of Underdevelopment and Development	p. 407
Sources of Political Conflict	p. 411
Problems of Political Participation	p. 413
Women in Third World Society and Politics	p. 418
Third World Political Institutions	p. 422
Conclusion: Recent Developments and Future Trends	p. 427
Mexico: The Birth Pangs of Democracy	p. 432
The Relevance of Mexican Politics	p. 433
Mexico's Formative Years and the Legacy of the Mexican Revolution	p. 435
The Postrevolutionary Order	p. 437
The Making of a Modern Economy	p. 438
The Struggle for Political Development	p. 442
Conclusion: A Developing Democracy	p. 460
International Relations	p. 471
Approaches to International Relations	p. 473
International Relations versus Domestic Politics	p. 474
Idealists and Realists	p. 474
War and International Relations	p. 479
Foreign Policy Decision Making	p. 485
International Political Economy	p. 488
International Law and Organization	p. 492
Ethics and International Relations	p. 496
Conclusion: War, Trade, Foreign Policy, and the Stakes of International Politics	p. 498
A Changing World Order	p. 501
From the End of the Cold War to the Beginnings of an Uncertain Future	p. 502
Policing Trouble Spots: A New World Order or a World without Order?	p. 504
The Changing Nature of the International Arms Race	p. 507
Current Trends in World Trade: Economic Unification and Beyond	p. 510
North-South Relations	p. 515
Protecting the Environment	p. 522
Human Rights	p. 525
Women's Rights	p. 529
International Terrorism	p. 531
Conclusion: The Changing Face of International Relations	p. 532
Glossary	p. 535
Index	p. 549
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