Combining thematic and country approaches to show students what comparative politics is really about, The Good Society organizes itself around a key question-why are some countries better than others at improving their citizens' lives? This brief survey offers a focused look at political institutions and uses in-depth country studies to compare how different institutional arrangements yield different political results. By concentrating on how politics affects citizens' lives, The Good Society offers a uniquely relevant introduction to comparative politics that goes to the heart of the field and helps students develop a critical point-of-view.

The first book-length, scholarly treatment of the subject, this volume examines the AFL-CIO's Committee on Political Education (COPE) from its origins in 1955 to the stunning defeat of COPE-endorsed candidates in the 1966 Congressional elections. In an attempt to determine whether the AFL-CIO is a surrogate for the social democratic party that the American party system lacks, Draper analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of labor's alliance with the Democratic party and the degree to which COPE was successful in mobilizing a coalition of workers and minorities to pursue social democratic goals.

In the early 1970s, a strange apparition began to appear on the stages of a vibrant U.K. gig circuit in the shape of a band of West Country troubadours, rejoicing under the odd name of Stackridge. Their music presented an extraordinary mix of styles, from genres as diverse as folk, classical, progressive rock, jazz, pop and music hall. In this book, Alan Draper traces the ever diverging and remerging paths of the core four Stackridge songwriters: Andy Davis, James Warren, Mutter Slater and Crun Walter, both within and without Stackridge. It's a trip that spans half a century of recording. Commencing with their eclectic debut album Stackridge in 1971, it proceeds via many fascinating musical paths and occasional cul-de-sacs en route. The band's 1970s heyday was marked by many personnel reshuffles and after their dissolution in 1976, James Warren and Andy Davis combined to form The Korgis, who scored worldwide hits with 'If I Had You' and the much-covered standard 'Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime'. Also taking in The Korgis, Mutter Slater Band and solo projects, our trip finally arrives in the 21st century as Stackridge return for a second career and a heroes' welcome from their dedicated fan base.

This brief introduction to American government highlights the ongoing tension between capitalism and democracy. With recent political conflict over issues such as how to rein in Wall Street, expand access to health care, put Americans back to work, and plan for an increasingly globalized future, the time is ripe for a new edition of The Politics of Power.

On the basis of extensive archival research, Alan Draper illuminates the role organized labor played in the southern civil rights movement. He documents the substantial support the AFL-CIO and its southern state councils gave to the struggle for black equality, suggesting that labor's political leadership recognized an opportunity in the civil rights movement. Frustrated in their efforts to organize the South, labor leaders understood the potential of newly enfranchised blacks to challenge conservative southern Democrats. At the same time, white union members in the South were more interested in defending their racial privileges than in allying themselves with blacks. An explosive tension developed between labor's political leadership, desperate to create a party system in the South that included blacks, and a rank and file determined to preserve southern Democracy by excluding blacks. This book looks at the ways that tension was expressed and ultimately resolved within the southern labor movement.