Politics in a Changing World: A Comparative Introduction to Political Science, 5th Edition

Front Cover......Page 1
Title Page......Page 2
Copyright......Page 3
Contents......Page 4
Preface......Page 9
About the Authors......Page 13
I: Fundamentals......Page 14
1 Politics, Government, and Political Science......Page 16
Politics and Government Defined......Page 20
Government Functions......Page 22
Kinds of Governments......Page 24
The Stakes of Politics......Page 27
Politics in a Changing World......Page 37
Conclusion: Why Study Political Science?......Page 40
2 Ideologies: Images of Political Life......Page 46
Liberalism and Conservatism......Page 47
Capitalism......Page 54
Marxism......Page 56
Socialism......Page 60
Other Ideologies......Page 63
Conclusion: Ideology Shapes Political Community and Political Conflict......Page 71
II: Political Behavior......Page 76
3 Political Culture and Socialization......Page 78
Political Culture: Origins of the Concept......Page 80
Agents of Political Socialization......Page 82
Classifying Political Cultures......Page 88
The Evolution of Political Cultures......Page 95
Conclusion: The Utility of Political Culture......Page 102
4 Public Opinion and Elections......Page 107
Influences on Public Opinion and Voting Choice......Page 108
Voter Turnout......Page 125
Belief Systems......Page 130
The Electoral Process and Campaign Money......Page 131
Electoral Systems......Page 133
Public Opinion Polling......Page 139
Conclusion: Elections and Public Opinion—The People’s Voice?......Page 140
5 Political Parties......Page 146
What Are Political Parties?......Page 148
The Functions of Political Parties......Page 149
The Origins of Political Parties......Page 156
Party Systems......Page 158
Types of Political Parties......Page 161
Conclusion: Parties in a Changing World......Page 169
6 Interest Groups......Page 176
Interest Groups: What They Are and How They Work......Page 178
The Power of Interest Groups......Page 190
The Growth of Interest Groups......Page 195
How Interest Groups Are Formed......Page 196
Conclusion: Interest Groups—A Challenge for Democracy?......Page 201
III: Political Institutions......Page 206
7 Legislative Institutions......Page 208
Legislatures: Features, Functions, and Structure......Page 210
Representation......Page 223
Party Responsibility and Legislative Behavior......Page 225
The Changing Role of Modern Legislatures......Page 227
8 Executive Institutions and Political Leadership......Page 232
The Functions of Executive Institutions......Page 233
Kinds of Executive Institutions......Page 239
Limits on Executive Power......Page 241
Approaches to Executive Leadership......Page 244
Conclusion: The Evolving Challenges of Executive Power......Page 250
9 Judicial Institutions......Page 254
Judicial Functions......Page 255
Justice and the Political System......Page 256
Kinds of Law......Page 260
Judicial Institutions: Structure and Design......Page 264
Judicial Decisions and Public Policy......Page 269
Perspectives on Judicial Policy Making......Page 270
10 Bureaucratic Institutions......Page 277
What Is Bureaucracy?......Page 280
Bureaucratic Functions......Page 282
The Growth of Bureaucracy......Page 284
Bureaucracy Evaluated......Page 286
Bureaucracy and Democracy......Page 291
Can Bureaucracy Be Improved?......Page 296
Bureaucracy in Political Life......Page 297
IV: Politics in Selected Nations......Page 302
11 U.S. Government: The Dilemmas of Democracy......Page 306
The Founding Period......Page 307
Governmental Institutions......Page 311
Participation in U.S. Politics......Page 333
U.S. Politics: Prospects and Challenges......Page 338
12 Great Britain: A Traditional Democracy......Page 354
The Relevance of British Politics......Page 355
Contemporary British Society and Political Culture......Page 358
Political Parties and Voting......Page 364
Interest Groups......Page 372
The Structure of Government......Page 374
Public Policy and the British Economy......Page 378
Conclusion: Great Britain in the Twenty-First Century......Page 381
13 Russia: The Elusive Path to and from Democracy......Page 385
The Relevance of the Russian Experience......Page 387
The Rise and Fall of Soviet Communism......Page 388
The Birth of a New Political System......Page 395
Restructuring the Economy......Page 404
Russia in the Early Years of the Twenty-First Century: The Putin Presidency and After......Page 410
Putin and the Creation of an All-Powerful Presidency......Page 413
Conclusion: The Transition to Democracy Derailed......Page 418
For Further Reading......Page 430
14 China: Searching for a New Vision......Page 431
The Relevance of Chinese Politics......Page 435
The Chinese Revolution and Its Origins......Page 437
The Evolution of Chinese Politics and Society......Page 439
Reforming the Chinese Economy......Page 442
China’s Political System......Page 447
Conclusion: China’s Uncertain Future......Page 460
15 The Politics of Developing Nations......Page 472
The Meaning of Underdevelopment......Page 473
Theories of Underdevelopment and Development......Page 484
Sources of Political Conflict......Page 488
Problems of Political Participation......Page 491
Women in Third World Society and Politics......Page 493
Third World Political Institutions......Page 497
Conclusion: Recent Developments and Future Trends......Page 503
16 Mexico: The Birth of Democracy......Page 509
The Relevance of Mexican Politics......Page 510
Mexico’s Formative Years and the Legacy of the Mexican Revolution......Page 512
The Postrevolutionary Order......Page 514
The Making of a Modern Economy......Page 515
The Struggle for Political Development......Page 519
Conclusion: A Developing Democracy......Page 536
V: International Relations......Page 544
17 Approaches to International Relations......Page 546
International Relations versus Domestic Politics......Page 547
Idealists and Realists......Page 548
War and International Relations......Page 553
The Politics of Nuclear Weapons......Page 557
Foreign Policy Decision Making......Page 560
International Political Economy......Page 563
International Law and Organization......Page 567
Conclusion: War, Trade, Foreign Policy, and the Stakes of International Politics......Page 573
18 A Changing World Order......Page 578
From the End of the Cold War to the Beginnings of an Uncertain Future......Page 579
Policing Trouble Spots: A New World Order or a World without Order?......Page 581
The Changing Nature of the International Arms Race......Page 584
Current Trends in World Trade: Economic Unification and Beyond......Page 587
North–South Relations......Page 592
Protecting the Environment......Page 599
Human Rights......Page 601
Women’s Rights......Page 605
International Terrorism......Page 607
Conclusion: The Changing Face of International Relations......Page 608
VI: Epilogue......Page 612
19 Future Challenges and Developments......Page 614
Climate Change and Public Policy Responses......Page 615
Resource Conservation......Page 617
Serving the Elderly: Health Care and Retirement Pensions......Page 618
Immigration Policy in Developed Nations......Page 619
Russia and the West: A New Cold War?......Page 621
The Asian Century?......Page 624
Conclusion......Page 627
Glossary......Page 630
Index......Page 644