British Politics Today

by Hay, Colin

• ISBN13: 9780745623191
• ISBN10: 0745623190
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-05-14
• Publisher: Polity

Summary

Written by a distinguished group of internationally renowned scholars, this volume provides a comprehensive and contemporary overview of the major issues dominating British politics. The book not only maps the current political agenda, but actively contributes to the debates surrounding British politics in the international community at the beginning of the twenty-first century. British Politics Today examines key developments in British politics such as the shift in focus by parties away from their traditional voting base towards ls"consumers' at large, and the rise in identity voting following devolution. The book is characterized by a broad and inclusive conception of British politics, resolutely refusing to reduce political analysis to a narrowly conceived sphere of government, and it explores contemporary British political developments in the broader context of European, international and global dynamics. Some of the major issues discussed include the Belfast agreement, Britain's future in Europe, the political economy of contemporary Britain, the representation of women within the British polity, the politics of welfare reform, and the ethics of foreign policy. This collection provides a valuable teaching resource for courses on British politics, as well as a crucial focus for debate by academics and researchers in this dynamic field. It will be essential reading for all those interested in the political science, political economy and political sociology of contemporary Britain.

Author Biography

Colin Hay is Professor of Political Analysis at the University of Birmingham.

Table of Contents

List of Contributors	vii
British Politics Today: Towards a New Political Science of British Politics?	1	(13)
Colin Hay
Pluralism and the Study of British Politics: It is Always the Happy Hour for Men with Money, Knowledge and Power	14	(24)
David Marsh
Gender and Contemporary British Politics	38	(22)
Pippa Norris
The Paradoxes of British Political Parties	60	(19)
Dennis Kavanagh
Electoral Competition in Contemporary Britain	79	(22)
David Sanders
The New Public Administration of the British State	101	(26)
R. A. W. Rhodes
Towards a New Welfare Settlement?	127	(30)
Ruth Lister
The New Political Economy of Postwar Britain	157	(28)
David Coates
Britain's European Future?	185	(31)
Ben Rosamond
Ethics, Labour and Foreign Policy	216	(21)
Stuart Croft
Towards a New Constitutional Settlement?	237	(22)
James Mitchell
The Belfast Agreement: The Making, Management and Mismanagement of a Complex Consociation	259	(47)
Brendan O'Leary
Index	306