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Books > Social sciences > Politics & government > Comparative politics

Politics in East Asia - Explaining Change & Continuity (Paperback): Timothy C. Lim Politics in East Asia - Explaining Change & Continuity (Paperback)
Timothy C. Lim
R785 Discovery Miles 7 850 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

This systematic, innovative introduction to the dynamic politics and political economies of China, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan teaches students how to think analytically, critically, and independently about the most significant developments in the region. It offers in-depth coverage of the unique experiences of each country, all within the framework of an explicit comparative perspective. Throughout, the five countries are contrasted with one another to maximise opportunities for learning. Covering the intertwined issues of politics, economics, and culture, this is a book that is ideally suited for assignment in any social science course on East Asia.

Why India Matters (Paperback): Maya Chadda Why India Matters (Paperback)
Maya Chadda
R881 R717 Discovery Miles 7 170 Save R164 (19%) Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Why is India's rise on the world stage so controversial? How can a state that is losing authority to its regions at the same time grow in international importance? Exploring an apparent paradox, Maya Chadda shows how culture, politics, wealth, and policy have combined to forge a distinctive Indian path to power, both nationally and in the international arena.

Federalism and Ethnic Conflict in Ethiopia - A Comparative Regional Study (Paperback): Asnake Kefale Federalism and Ethnic Conflict in Ethiopia - A Comparative Regional Study (Paperback)
Asnake Kefale
R1,562 Discovery Miles 15 620 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

This book examines the impact of the federal restructuring of Ethiopia on ethnic conflicts. The adoption of ethnic federalism in Ethiopia was closely related with the problem of creating a state structure that could be used as instrument of managing the complex ethno-linguistic diversity of the country. Ethiopia is a multinational country with about 85 ethno-linguistic groups and since the 1960s, it suffered from ethno-regional conflicts. The book considers multiple governance and state factors that could explain the difficulties Ethiopian federalism faces to realise its objectives. These include lack of political pluralism and the use of ethnicity as the sole instrument of state organisation. Federalism and Ethnic Conflict in Ethiopia will be of interest to students and scholars of federal studies, ethnic conflict and regionalism.

The Arab Winter - A Tragedy (Hardcover): Noah Feldman The Arab Winter - A Tragedy (Hardcover)
Noah Feldman
R499 Discovery Miles 4 990 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice Why the conventional wisdom about the Arab Spring is wrong The Arab Spring promised to end dictatorship and bring self-government to people across the Middle East. Yet everywhere except Tunisia it led to either renewed dictatorship, civil war, extremist terror, or all three. In The Arab Winter, Noah Feldman argues that the Arab Spring was nevertheless not an unmitigated failure, much less an inevitable one. Rather, it was a noble, tragic series of events in which, for the first time in recent Middle Eastern history, Arabic-speaking peoples took free, collective political action as they sought to achieve self-determination. Focusing on the Egyptian revolution and counterrevolution, the Syrian civil war, the rise and fall of ISIS in Syria and Iraq, and the Tunisian struggle toward Islamic constitutionalism, Feldman provides an original account of the political consequences of the Arab Spring, including the reaffirmation of pan-Arab identity, the devastation of Arab nationalisms, and the death of political Islam with the collapse of ISIS. He also challenges commentators who say that the Arab Spring was never truly transformative, that Arab popular self-determination was a mirage, and even that Arabs or Muslims are less capable of democracy than other peoples. Above all, The Arab Winter shows that we must not let the tragic outcome of the Arab Spring disguise its inherent human worth. People whose political lives had been determined from the outside tried, and for a time succeeded, in making politics for themselves. That this did not result in constitutional democracy or a better life for most of those affected doesn't mean the effort didn't matter. To the contrary, it matters for history-and it matters for the future.

Political Entrepreneurs - The Rise of Challenger Parties in Europe (Hardcover): Catherine E. De Vries, Sara B. Hobolt Political Entrepreneurs - The Rise of Challenger Parties in Europe (Hardcover)
Catherine E. De Vries, Sara B. Hobolt
R732 Discovery Miles 7 320 Ships in 7 - 13 working days

How challenger parties, acting as political entrepreneurs, are changing European democracies Challenger parties are on the rise in Europe, exemplified by the likes of Podemos in Spain, the National Rally in France, the Alternative for Germany, or the Brexit Party in Great Britain. Like disruptive entrepreneurs, these parties offer new policies and defy the dominance of established party brands. In the face of these challenges and a more volatile electorate, mainstream parties are losing their grip on power. In this book, Catherine De Vries and Sara Hobolt explore why some challenger parties are so successful and what mainstream parties can do to confront these political entrepreneurs. Drawing analogies with how firms compete, De Vries and Hobolt demonstrate that political change is as much about the ability of challenger parties to innovate as it is about the inability of dominant parties to respond. Challenger parties employ two types of innovation to break established party dominance: they mobilize new issues, such as immigration, the environment, and Euroscepticism, and they employ antiestablishment rhetoric to undermine mainstream party appeal. Unencumbered by government experience, challenger parties adapt more quickly to shifting voter tastes and harness voter disenchantment. Delving into strategies of dominance versus innovation, the authors explain why European party systems have remained stable for decades, but also why they are now increasingly under strain. As challenger parties continue to seek to disrupt the existing order, Political Entrepreneurs shows that their ascendency fundamentally alters government stability and democratic politics.

Regional Restructuring Under Advanced Capitalism (Hardcover): Phil O'Keefe Regional Restructuring Under Advanced Capitalism (Hardcover)
Phil O'Keefe
R3,026 Discovery Miles 30 260 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Originally published in 1984. At that time many formerly prosperous regions were becoming impoverished and many former "core" areas were being demoted to peripheral status. This book considers this crisis, its nature and manifestations and its implications. It looks in particular at how the regional crisis affects the socialist analysis of capitalism and it analyses how the crisis affects the political outlook and political actions of the working class in afflicted regions. The theories and analysis put forward apply throughout the world in both advanced and less developed countries.

Europe's Union in Crisis - Tested and Contested (Hardcover): Brigid Laffan Europe's Union in Crisis - Tested and Contested (Hardcover)
Brigid Laffan
R1,562 Discovery Miles 15 620 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

The European Union faces a set of inter-related crises that it struggles to contain and address. By exploring how the EU responds to crises and conflict, this volume addresses both its resilience and vulnerability. The EU faces significant challenges: European integration is increasingly politicised; democratic politics within member states are increasingly volatile; challenger parties threaten the status quo; and party systems are shifting throughout Europe. These crises test both the EU and individual states, especially those that had to exchange interdependence in the Union for dependence on the Troika. Despite the tension of hard times, this volume points to patterns of continuity and change as the single market, somewhat side-lined and forgotten in the heat of crises, retains its role as the hard core of the Union and the EU's most significant achievement. This book was originally published as a special issue of West European Politics.

National Liberation Movements as Government in Africa (Hardcover): Redie Bereketeab National Liberation Movements as Government in Africa (Hardcover)
Redie Bereketeab
R3,924 Discovery Miles 39 240 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Africa is well known for the production of national liberation movements (NLMs), stemming from a history of exploitation, colonisation and slavery. NLMs are generally characterised by a struggle carried out by or in the name of suppressed people for political, social, cultural, economic, territorial liberation and decolonisation. Dozens of NLMs have ascended to state power in Africa following a successful violent popular struggle either as an outright military victory or a negotiated settlement. National Liberation Movements as Government in Africa analyses the performance of NLMs after they gain state power. The book tracks the initial promises and guiding principles of NLMs against their actual record in achieving socio-economic development goals such as peace, stability, state building and democratisation. The book explores the various different struggles for liberation, whether against European colonialism, white minority rule, neighbouring countries, or for internal reform or regime change. Bringing together case studies from Somalia, Somaliland, Uganda, Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Sudan, Namibia, Angola, Mozambique, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Algeria, the book builds a comprehensive analysis of the challenges NLMs face when ascending to state power, and why so many ultimately end in failure. This is an ideal resource for scholars, policy makers and students with an interest in African development, politics, and security studies.

Checking Presidential Power - Executive Decrees and the Legislative Process in New Democracies (Paperback): Valeria Palanza Checking Presidential Power - Executive Decrees and the Legislative Process in New Democracies (Paperback)
Valeria Palanza
R749 Discovery Miles 7 490 Ships in 9 - 15 working days

A central concern about the robustness of democratic rule in new democracies is the concentration of power in the executive branch and the potential this creates for abuse. This concern is felt particularly with regard to the concentration of legislative power. Checking Presidential Power explains the levels of reliance on executive decrees in a comparative perspective. Building on the idea of institutional commitment, which affects the enforcement of decision-making rules, Palanza describes the degree to which countries rely on executive decree authority as more reliance may lead to unbalanced presidential systems and will ultimately affect democratic quality. Breaking new ground by both theorizing and empirically analyzing decree authority from a comparative perspective, this book examines policy making in separation of powers systems. It explains the choice between decrees and statutes, and why legislators are sometimes profoundly engaged in the legislative process and yet other times entirely withdrawn from it.

When Democracies Deliver - Governance Reform in Latin America (Paperback): Katherine Bersch When Democracies Deliver - Governance Reform in Latin America (Paperback)
Katherine Bersch
R749 Discovery Miles 7 490 Ships in 9 - 15 working days

Why do governance reforms in developing democracies so often fail, and when might they succeed? When Democracies Deliver offers a dynamic framework for assessing the effectiveness and durability of policy change. Drawing on detailed analyses of public sector reforms in Brazil and Argentina, this book challenges conventional wisdom to reveal that incremental changes sequenced over time prove more effective in promoting accountability, increasing transparency, and strengthening institutions than comprehensive overhauls pushed through by political will. Developing an innovative theory that integrates cognitive-psychological insights about decision making with research on institutional change, Katherine Bersch shows how political and organizational factors can shape reform strategies and information processing. Through extensive interviews and field research, Bersch traces how two competing strategies have determined the different trajectories of institutions responsible for government contracting in health care and transportation. When Democracies Deliver offers a fresh insight on the perils of powering and the benefits of gradual reform.

Stateness and Democracy in East Asia (Paperback): Aurel Croissant, Olli Hellmann Stateness and Democracy in East Asia (Paperback)
Aurel Croissant, Olli Hellmann
R755 Discovery Miles 7 550 Ships in 9 - 15 working days

Democratization and state building are fundamental political processes, yet scholars cannot agree on which process should be prioritized in order to put countries on a positive path of institutional development. Where much of the existing literature on the state-democracy nexus focuses on quantitative cross-national data, this volume offers a theoretically grounded regional analysis built around in-depth qualitative case studies. The chapters examine cases of successful democratic consolidation (South Korea, Taiwan), defective democracy (Philippines, Indonesia, East Timor), and autocratic reversal (Cambodia, Thailand). The book's evidence challenges the dominant 'state first, democracy later' argument, demonstrating instead that stateness is neither a sufficient nor a necessary condition for democratic consolidation. The authors not only show that democratization can become trapped in path-dependent processes, but also that the system-level organization of informal networks plays a key role in shaping the outcome of democratic transitions.

Political Regimes in the Arab World - Society and the Exercise of Power (Paperback): Ferran Izquierdo Brichs Political Regimes in the Arab World - Society and the Exercise of Power (Paperback)
Ferran Izquierdo Brichs
R1,357 Discovery Miles 13 570 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

One of the implications of Orientalism is that the Arab world, as a homogenous entity, is often analysed as an anomaly within the international system. This book argues that, despite their differences, societies across the globe ultimately construct their own history according to very similar dynamics and tensions. The methodological approach of this book, using different countries within the Arab world as models, offers the reader an analysis of relations between the elites and their opposition in a variety of settings. A definition of the political structure of each country is drawn from this analysis before potential future scenarios, as according to country specific experts, are proposed. This model provides a useful contribution to students and scholars of political science and international relations. Through providing a comparative study of the political regimes currently operating in the Arab world; their elites, civil society, power resources and political resistance, this book illustrates that despite the image of homogeneity sometimes portrayed by the Arab world, it is the multiplicity of models and heterogeneity of regimes that constitute reality.

Social Democracy - A Comparative Account of the Left-Wing Party Family (Paperback): Hans Keman Social Democracy - A Comparative Account of the Left-Wing Party Family (Paperback)
Hans Keman
R1,173 Discovery Miles 11 730 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

The Social Democratic party family is a central part of political life in the West. This book focuses on this party family as well as a unique political force in the industrialised world. It provides a critical comparative survey of when, where, how and why Social Democracy developed within established capitalist democracies. The book explains the electoral fortunes of Social Democratic parties, the influence of the party system dynamics and co-operation between parties in government. It examines the ideological tensions within Social Democratic parties between socialists and reformists and its ramifications for pursuing a 'better and kinder' world. This study also discusses the recent state of affairs and its mission in the 21st century. The book features a comparative analysis of 21 cases from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and the United States. It will be of key interest to students and scholars of public policy, comparative politics, party politics and democracy studies.

Brexit: The Establishment Civil War (Paperback): Josh Hamilton Brexit: The Establishment Civil War (Paperback)
Josh Hamilton
R662 Discovery Miles 6 620 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Wrapped up in a story of the British public's' rejection of the establishment is a much darker story about shady money, untoward digital campaign tactics, and a fraught battle exploding from the highest rungs of British politics and society. Brexit: The Establishment Civil War is a crucial examination of what is now driving British politics, the dark money and forces attempting to manipulate it, and the online warfare techniques that are being deployed in modern politics. Brexit is nothing more than an establishment civil war that erupted from the upper echelons of the Conservative party and engulfed the entire country. It unleashed the growing power of big data on a divided and austerity ravaged population by pouring petrol on hot button issues like immigration and sovereignty. The Leave campaigns reached into our social divides and pulled us apart all for their own gain. Josh Hamilton examines the underlying factors that led to the Brexit vote, how technology made us more vulnerable to manipulation, how both sides of the establishment went to war over their own self-interests, and how disaster capitalists will use Brexit to further enrich themselves at the expense of the entire country.

Foreign Policies of EU Member States - Continuity and Europeanisation (Hardcover): Amelia Hadfield, Ian Manners, Richard G.... Foreign Policies of EU Member States - Continuity and Europeanisation (Hardcover)
Amelia Hadfield, Ian Manners, Richard G. Whitman
R4,371 Discovery Miles 43 710 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

This text provides a clear and current overview of the motivations and outcomes of EU Member States regarding their foreign policy-making within and beyond the EU. It provides an in-depth analysis of intra-EU policy-making, and sheds light in an innovative and understandable way on the lesser known aspects of the inter-EU and extra-EU foreign policies of the 27 Member States.

The text has an innovative method of thematic organisation in which case study state profiles emerge via dominant foreign policy themes. The text examines the three main policy challenges currently faced by the 27 Member States.

First, EU Member States must cooperate within the mechanisms of the EU, including the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). Intra-EU policy-making sees the states cooperating according to well-practised inter-governmental methods, but along supranational lines for a widening number of areas.

Second, EU Member States continue to construct their own inter-EU foreign policies. In other words, bilateral arrangements between EU Member States but largely independent of the treaties and structures of the EU itself

Third, is the sovereign prerogative exercised by all EU Member States to construct their own foreign policies on everything from trade and defence with the rest of the world However, in directing extra-EU foreign policies, EU Member States directly experience the tension between the practice of Europeanisation and the pull of sovereignty.

This combination of clarity, thematic structure and empirical case studies make this an ideal textbook for all upper-level students of European foreign policy, comparative European politics and European studies.

Making Gender Equality Happen - Knowledge, Change and Resistance in EU Gender Mainstreaming (Hardcover): Rosalind Cavaghan Making Gender Equality Happen - Knowledge, Change and Resistance in EU Gender Mainstreaming (Hardcover)
Rosalind Cavaghan
R3,909 Discovery Miles 39 090 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

In theory, the EU's 'Gender Mainstreaming' policy should mark it out as a trail-blazer in gender equality, but gender equality activists in Europe confront a knotty problem; most civil servants and policy makers can't understand how to 'mainstream' gender. Making Gender Equality Happen argues that we should take this problem seriously. In this book Cavaghan uncovers the social processes that make gender appear irrelevant to so many policy makers using a new method, gender knowledge contestation analysis. Building on this new perspective Cavaghan identifies: barriers to effective gender mainstreaming; mechanisms of resistance to gender mainstreaming; and the steps towards positive change, which gender mainstreaming can yield, even when results stop short of 'transformation'. These findings present fresh perspectives for policy makers and activists aiming to make gender equality happen. Cavaghan's new method also opens fresh avenues in feminist EU studies, which are particularly relevant in the wake of the financial crisis, as the EU seems to be stepping away from its commitments to gender equality.

Theorizing Indian Foreign Policy (Hardcover): Mischa Hansel, Raphaelle Khan, Melissa Levaillant Theorizing Indian Foreign Policy (Hardcover)
Mischa Hansel, Raphaelle Khan, Melissa Levaillant
R3,911 Discovery Miles 39 110 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Examined from a non-Western lens, the standard International Relations (IR) and Foreign Policy Analysis (FPA) approaches are ill-adapted because of some Eurocentric and conceptual biases. These biases partly stem from: first, the dearth of analyses focusing on non-Western cases; second, the primacy of Western-born concepts and method in the two disciplines. That is what this book seeks to redress. Theorizing Indian Foreign Policy draws together the study of contemporary Indian foreign policy and the methods and theories used by FPA and IR, while simultaneously contributing to a growing reflection on how to theorise a non-Western case. Its chapters offer a refreshing perspective by combining different sets of theories, empirical analyses, historical perspectives and insights from area studies. Empirically, chapters deal with different issues as well as varied bilateral relations and institutional settings. Conceptually, however, they ask similar questions about what is unique about Indian foreign policy and how to study it. The chapters also compel us to reconsider the meaning and boundary conditions of concepts (e.g. coalition government, strategic culture and sovereignty) in a non-Western context. This book will appeal to both specialists and students of Indian foreign policy and International Relations Theory.

An Uncertain Ally - Turkey under Erdogan's Dictatorship (Paperback): David L Phillips An Uncertain Ally - Turkey under Erdogan's Dictatorship (Paperback)
David L Phillips
R1,170 Discovery Miles 11 700 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Under the rule of Recep Tayyip Erdogan Turkey has descended into a dictatorship, promotes the Islamist agenda, abuses human rights, limits freedom of expression in the press, and wages war against the Kurds. While Turkey has historically been important geopolitically, it has become an outlier in Europe and an uncertain ally of the United States. An Uncertain Ally is a straightforward indictment of Erdogan. Drawing on inside sources in his Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the police, the book reveals corruption and money laundering schemes that benefitted Erdogan, his cronies, and family members. Erdogan has polarized Turkish society and created conditions that led to the coup attempt of July 2016. He has also deepened divisions by accusing Fethullah Gulen, an Islamic teacher in Pennsylvania, of establishing a parallel state and masterminding the coup attempt. Erdogan has seized on the failed coup to justify a witch hunt, arresting thousands and ordering the wholesale dismissal of alleged coup sympathizers. Rather than foster reconciliation, he pursued vendettas and turned Turkey into a gulag. An Uncertain Ally exposes Turkey's ties to jihadists in Syria and the Islamic State, questioning its suitability as a NATO member. Under Erdogan, Turkey faces a dark future that poses a danger to the region and internationally.

An Uncertain Ally - Turkey under Erdogan's Dictatorship (Hardcover): David L Phillips An Uncertain Ally - Turkey under Erdogan's Dictatorship (Hardcover)
David L Phillips
R3,916 Discovery Miles 39 160 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Under the rule of Recep Tayyip Erdogan Turkey has descended into a dictatorship, promotes the Islamist agenda, abuses human rights, limits freedom of expression in the press, and wages war against the Kurds. While Turkey has historically been important geopolitically, it has become an outlier in Europe and an uncertain ally of the United States. An Uncertain Ally is a straightforward indictment of Erdogan. Drawing on inside sources in his Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the police, the book reveals corruption and money laundering schemes that benefitted Erdogan, his cronies, and family members. Erdogan has polarized Turkish society and created conditions that led to the coup attempt of July 2016. He has also deepened divisions by accusing Fethullah Gulen, an Islamic teacher in Pennsylvania, of establishing a parallel state and masterminding the coup attempt. Erdogan has seized on the failed coup to justify a witch hunt, arresting thousands and ordering the wholesale dismissal of alleged coup sympathizers. Rather than foster reconciliation, he pursued vendettas and turned Turkey into a gulag. An Uncertain Ally exposes Turkey's ties to jihadists in Syria and the Islamic State, questioning its suitability as a NATO member. Under Erdogan, Turkey faces a dark future that poses a danger to the region and internationally.

Reimagining Capitalism - Shortlisted for the FT & McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award 2020 (Paperback): Rebecca Henderson Reimagining Capitalism - Shortlisted for the FT & McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award 2020 (Paperback)
Rebecca Henderson 1
R350 R280 Discovery Miles 2 800 Save R70 (20%) Ships in 5 - 10 working days

SHORTLISTED FOR FT & MCKINSEY BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2020 FT Best books of 2020 "This powerful and readable book is a clarion call for reimagining and remaking capitalism. We can have a more moral and more innovative capitalism. There is hope!" -Daron Acemoglu, coauthor of Why Nations Fail WHAT IF BUSINESS COULD HELP SOLVE THE GREATEST PROBLEMS OF OUR TIME? Free market capitalism is one of humanity's greatest inventions and the greatest source of prosperity the world has ever seen. At the same time, its single-minded pursuit of profit has led to rampant inequality and the looming threat of climate catastrophe - and now threatens to destroy the society on which it depends. Rebecca Henderson, John and Natty McArthur University Professor at Harvard University, argues that business can simultaneously make a positive impact on the world by confronting the realities of our environmental crisis and the need to address social and economic inequality, while also delivering the sustained economic growth that brings prosperity and wellbeing to society as a whole. Drawing on lessons from companies from around the world who are already making a positive difference, Reimagining Capitalism shows that this new approach is not only a moral imperative but also an extraordinary opportunity to drive growth and innovation in an increasingly competitive world. And, perhaps most critically, she suggests that it has the potential to balance the power of the market with the power of democratic, accountable government and strong civil society - the only long term solution to the problems that we face. "This powerful and readable book is a clarion call for reimagining and remaking capitalism. We can have a more moral and more innovative capitalism. There is hope!" -Daron Acemoglu, coauthor of Why Nations Fail

The Symbolic Scenarios of Islamism - A Study in Islamic Political Thought (Paperback): Andrea Mura The Symbolic Scenarios of Islamism - A Study in Islamic Political Thought (Paperback)
Andrea Mura
R1,268 Discovery Miles 12 680 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

The Symbolic Scenarios of Islamism initiates a dialogue between the discourse of three of the most discussed figures in the history of the Sunni Islamic movement-Hasan al-Banna, Sayyid Qutb, and Osama bin Laden-and contemporary debates across religion and political theory, providing a crucial foundation upon which to situate current developments in world politics. Redressing the inefficiency of the terms in which the debate on Islam and Islamism is generally conducted, the book examines the role played by tradition, modernity, and transmodernity as major "symbolic scenarios" of Islamist discourses, highlighting the internal complexity and dynamism of Islamism. By uncovering forms of knowledge that have hitherto gone unnoticed or have been marginalised by traditional and dominant approaches to politics, accounting for central political ideas in non-Western sources and in the Global South, the book provides a unique contribution towards rethinking the nature of citizenship, antagonism, space, and frontiers required today. While offering valuable reading for scholars of Islamic studies, religious studies and politics, it provides a critical perspective for academics with an interest in discourse theory, post-colonial theory, political philosophy, and comparative political thought.

Political Choice in a Polarized America - How Elite Polarization Shapes Mass Behavior (Paperback): Joshua N. Zingher Political Choice in a Polarized America - How Elite Polarization Shapes Mass Behavior (Paperback)
Joshua N. Zingher
R944 Discovery Miles 9 440 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

What motivates citizens to support one party over the other? Do they carefully weigh all of the relevant issues and assess which party or candidate best matches their own positions? Or do people look at politics as something more akin to a team sport-the specifics do not matter as long as you know what side your team is on? Answering these questions requires us to think about how much the average American knows about politics. Many scholars of public opinion believe that the majority of Americans only pay passing attention to politics. Thus the electorate's apparent lack of political competence presents a direct challenge to normative theories of democracy. How are citizens supposed to exert control over the government if they have no idea what is going on? In Political Choice in a Polarized America, Joshua N. Zingher argues that these fears are overblown. Not only do individuals have core beliefs about what the government should or should not do, but individuals have become more likely to support the party that best matches their policy attitudes by both identifying as a member of that party and voting for that party in elections. However, as Zingher demonstrates, voters' ability to match their attitudes to a party or candidate varies according to signals sent by elites and increases as parties become more polarized. This is true even among citizens with less political knowledge and efficacy. Voters now consistently cast ballots for the candidates who best match their own policy orientations and are increasingly likely to express hostility towards members of the other party due to growing elite polarization. Moreover, policy preferences tend to remain stable over time and both shape and are shaped by partisanship. Tackling decades of mixed findings about the prevalence (or lack) of policy voting, Zingher argues that the average American is much more likely to vote for the party that best represents their views than they were in the past. American voters have adapted to a more polarized environment by becoming more polarized themselves.

Presidential Elections and Majority Rule - The Rise, Demise, and Potential Restoration of the Jeffersonian Electoral College... Presidential Elections and Majority Rule - The Rise, Demise, and Potential Restoration of the Jeffersonian Electoral College (Paperback)
Edward B. Foley
R767 Discovery Miles 7 670 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

A timely look into and argument for the Jeffersonian Electoral College. The Electoral College that governs America has been with us since 1804, when Thomas Jefferson's supporters redesigned it for his re-election. The Jeffersonians were motivated by the principle of majority rule. Gone were the days when a president would be elected by acclamation, as George Washington had been. Instead, given the emergence of intense two-party competition, the Jeffersonians wanted to make sure that the Electoral College awarded the presidency to the candidate of the majority, rather than minority, party. They also envisioned that a candidate would win by amassing a majority of Electoral College votes secured from states where the candidate's party was in the majority. For most of American history, this system has worked as intended, producing presidents who won Electoral College victories derived from state-based majorities. In the last quarter-century, however, there have been three significant aberrations from the Jeffersonian design: 1992, 2000, and 2016. In each of these years, the Electoral College victory depended on states where the winner received only a minority of votes. In this authoritative history of the American Electoral College system, Edward Foley analyzes the consequences of the unparalleled departure from the Jeffersonians' original intent-and delineates what we can do about it. He explains how states, by simply changing their Electoral College procedures, could restore the original Jeffersonian commitment to majority rule. There are various ways to do this, all of which comply with the Constitution. If only a few states had done so before 2016, the outcome might have been different. Doing so before future elections can prevent another victory that, contrary to the original Jeffersonian intent, a majority of voters did not want.

The Belgian Congo as a Developmental State - Revisiting Colonialism (Hardcover): Emizet Francois Kisangani The Belgian Congo as a Developmental State - Revisiting Colonialism (Hardcover)
Emizet Francois Kisangani
R3,994 Discovery Miles 39 940 Ships in 9 - 15 working days

This book challenges assumptions that poor post-colonial economic performance is always a direct product of colonialism by reconsidering the Belgian Congo (1908-1959) as a developmental state. The book demonstrates that despite the colonial system's economic exploitation and extraction, brutality, excessive taxation, and inequities, the Belgian Congo achieved successes in developing the economy in a short period of time. The Belgian Congo was able to achieve this by investing its higher rates of fiscal revenue in political stability, physical infrastructure, education, and healthcare. By reconsidering the Belgian colonial state as a developmental state, this book encourages scholars to adopt a more nuanced analysis of African history. Considering state capacity and state autonomy as key features of a developmental state, the book demonstrates that colonial state managers in the Belgian Congo were able to supply these public goods that sustained economic growth for decades. Whilst by no means glorifying colonialism or the atrocities that were conducted during the Belgian occupation, the book nonetheless outlines how different forms of capitalism were deployed to further economic development in the country. In contrast, predatory state managers of the Congo Free State (1885-1908) and post-colonial kleptocrats (1960-2018) have squandered Congo's natural resources with disastrous economic and social consequences. Contrasting the Belgian Congo with colonies of settlement and other colonies of extraction, this book encourages researchers and students to reconsider the dominant narratives within colonial history, development, and African Studies.

Social and Applied Aspects of Perceiving Faces (Paperback): Thomas R. Alley Social and Applied Aspects of Perceiving Faces (Paperback)
Thomas R. Alley
R1,482 Discovery Miles 14 820 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

This interdisciplinary overview integrates a variety of perspectives on the process and interpretation of faces as a major source of verbal and nonverbal communication. Written by authors from social, experimental, and cognitive psychology as well as from the dental sciences, Social and Applied Aspects of Perceiving Faces covers topics including normal variation in facial appearance and facial anomalies.

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