Efforts at coordination between nations are at the heart of the challenges of globalization. Despite steadily growing interdependencies, individual nations still have specific interests that present obstacles to globalization. While some challenges inspired by the need to coordinate are viewed as inevitable by many, they are less optimistic about prospects for success. Jan-Erik Lane argues that one should focus objectively upon the possibility of failures. Lane analyzes four kinds of challenges to interdependency, all of which are growing in geopolitical relevance. First, countries need to diminish their dependency on fossil fuel and shift to a reliable supply of energy, because fossil fuels are diminishing. Second, environmental degradation must be addressed, because it is accelerating under the strain of earth's population. Lane advocates an ecological footprint approach. Third, a single global market economy and its complexities must be addressed, as national economies are increasingly opened. Finally, as traditional state sovereignty weakens, foreign military intervention in both international and intra-state conflicts increases. Governments are attempting to address these interdependencies, or reply to the challenges they pose, mainly through international organizations and regionalism. These efforts are discussed at length. In addition, problems with international law are reviewed, as Lane warns against the utopian hopes of global constitutionalism. Globalization also examines the potential consequences of failing to address the need for coordination in efforts to address shared global challenges.

Globalization and Politics brings together vision and imaginative insight to the analysis of the evolution of inter-state politics to produce a clear, comprehensive and coherent sense of how globalization works and how it might work better. The study looks upon globalization as a distinct set of phenomena - energy, economy, environment and politics - all of which interact. Presenting opportunities for interdependency and governance, globalization offers both dangers and promises which explains why it is equally feared and praised. Globalization is an economic trend with strong spillovers and as such has become a political trend with cultural implications. This volume is an invaluable, highly readable new text for graduate and undergraduate courses. It sets out the key challenges for globalization in the 21st century and looks at the challenges, responses and risks of globalization. It is required reading for analysts, students and professionals who want to understand what's at stake in the globalization debate.

Since constitutional arrangements are what make politics work, they are a central concern of political theory. This book, now completely updated, was the first comprehensive exploration of the political theory of constitutions. Jan-Erik Lane begins by examining the origins and history of constitutionalism and answers key questions such as: what is a constitution? Why are there constitutions? From where does constitutionalism originate? How is the constitutional state related to democracy and justice? Constitutions play a major role in domestic and international politics in the early 21st century and an updated version of this classic textbook will introduce students to a number of different areas - theoretical, empirical and moral - which will aid their understanding of this important topic. -- .

It can be argued that Switzerland has a peculiar set of political institutions, for example decentralized federalism, active referendum democracy, and La formule magique (grand coalition). This volume focuses upon the political and social outcomes of these institutions in the 1990s.

Efforts at coordination between nations are at the heart of the challenges of globalization. Despite steadily growing interdependencies, individual nations still have specific interests that present obstacles to globalization. While some challenges inspired by the need to coordinate are viewed as inevitable by many, they are less optimistic about prospects for success. Jan-Erik Lane argues that one should focus objectively upon the possibility of failures.

Lane analyzes four kinds of challenges to interdependency, all of which are growing in geopolitical relevance. First, countries need to diminish their dependency on fossil fuel and shift to a reliable supply of energy, because fossil fuels are diminishing. Second, environmental degradation must be addressed, because it is accelerating under the strain of earth's population. Lane advocates an ecological footprint approach. Third, a single global market economy and its complexities must be addressed, as national economies are increasingly opened. Finally, as traditional state sovereignty weakens, foreign military intervention in both international and intra-state conflicts increases.

Governments are attempting to address these interdependencies, or reply to the challenges they pose, mainly through international organizations and regionalism. These efforts are discussed at length. In addition, problems with international law are reviewed, as Lane warns against the utopian hopes of global constitutionalism. Globalization also examines the potential consequences of failing to address the need for coordination in efforts to address shared global challenges.

This concise, accessible text presents an overview of the relevance of culture for politics. Culture figures prominently in the theories of the great classics such as Marx, Durkheim and Weber. Recently, the cultural approach to politics has developed quickly, and the concept of political culture has played a role in these developments, particularly given the emergence of large-scale survey research into political value orientations.

Seeking to outline this rapid development, the book is divided into three sections:

• Section I of the book discusses the relevance of cultural perspectives to political analysis including discussion of the most significant concepts and methods.
• Section II looks at the core elements of political culture tradition, ethnicity and religion.
• Section III examines emerging research avenues and opportunities including social capital, value orientations in the postmodern world, newer formulations of political culture such as gender and sexuality and the influence of the environment.

Drawing on a wealth of examples and a comprehensive analysis of comparative data, this textbook is essential reading for all students of political culture, research methods, political sociology and comparative politics.

This concise, accessible text presents an overview of the relevance of culture for politics. Culture figures prominently in the theories of the great classics such as Marx, Durkheim and Weber. Recently, the cultural approach to politics has developed quickly, and the concept of political culture has played a role in these developments, particularly given the emergence of large-scale survey research into political value orientations.

Seeking to outline this rapid development, the book is divided into three sections:

• Section I of the book discusses the relevance of cultural perspectives to political analysis including discussion of the most significant concepts and methods.
• Section II looks at the core elements of political culture tradition, ethnicity and religion.
• Section III examines emerging research avenues and opportunities including social capital, value orientations in the postmodern world, newer formulations of political culture such as gender and sexuality and the influence of the environment.

Drawing on a wealth of examples and a comprehensive analysis of comparative data, this textbook is essential reading for all students of political culture, research methods, political sociology and comparative politics.

Starting from the principal-agent perspective, this book offers a new analysis of government. It interprets political institutions as devices designed to solve the omnipresent principal-agent game in politics. In other words how to select, instruct, monitor and evaluate political agents or elites so that they deliver in accordance with the needs and preferences of their principal: the population. This book explores whether there are any evolutionary mechanisms in politics which guide mankind towards the rule of law regime, domestically and globally. It combines a cross-sectional approach with a longitudinal one. Comparing the extent of the rule of law among states, using a set of data from 150 countries concerning political and social variables, the author seeks to understand why there is such a marked difference among states. Taking a state-centred perspective and looking at countries with a population larger than one million people during the post Second World War period, the book examines: The stability and performance of states The conditions for the rule of law regime: economic, social, cultural and institutional ones The evolution of governments towards rule of law Comparative Politics - The Principle-Agent Perspective will be of interest to students and scholars of comparative politics, government, political theory and law.

Politics and Society in Western Europe is a comprehensive introduction for students of West European politics and of comparative politics. This new edition has been extensively revised and updated to meet with the new needs of undergraduate students as they come to terms with a changing social and political landscape in Europe.

This textbook provides a full analysis of the political systems of 18 Western European countries, their political parties, elections, and party systems, as well as the structures of government at local, regional, national and European Union levels.

Throughout the book, key theoretical ideas are accessibly introduced and examined against the very latest empirical data on civil society and the state.

State Management offers a comprehensive yet concise introduction to the new field of state management, presenting an analysis of basic questions within the theories of bureaucracy, policy-making, principal-agent modelling and policy networks. Focussing upon recent state transformation, it illuminates public sector reform strategies such as New Public Management as well as incorporation, tendering and bidding, decentralization, team production and privatization.

This book argues that we should look upon the variety of models or approaches to public management or public administration as all belonging under "state management." The so-called "working state" in a well-ordered society involves government delivering services, paying for social security and respecting the rule of law. In this text, Jan-Erik Lane systematically examines the key approaches to the study of how government attempts to achieve these goals, discussing the pros and cons of alternative frameworks of analysis.

Each chapter discusses a different issue within state management that is integral to the broader debate, including:

• Public regulation
• The relationship between the law and the state
• Combining ecology and policy making
• Multi-level governance
• The virtues and vices of public-private partnerships
• Policy implementation

Presenting a clear overview of how the state operates when government sets out to deliver public services, and generating questions to encourage new research, State Management is a valuable new text for both undergraduate and postgraduate courses in political science, public administration and public management.

Culture and Politics provides a comprehensive introduction to the enduring phenomenon of culture and its impact on contemporary society and politics. Combining a substantial theoretical overview with intricate comparative empirical research, it assesses the complex interplay of ethnicity, religion, history and values on macro- and micro-level outcomes. Striking a judicious balance between the use of global data on the topic and their selection of six key in-depth country studies, the book draws extensively on statistical material and 'hard data' rather than the literary evidence usual in studies of this kind. This second edition of a well-established text has been expanded and fully updated in line with new events. More student-friendly, this volume now contains useful references for further reading and new material on ethnicity and religion. Readers will find that the values section is now more lucid. This clearly structured book's stringent approach to the topic and its readable, accessible style make this book one that no serious scholar or student of political culture should be without.

A perspective on the public sector that presents a concise and comprehensive analysis of exactly what it is and how it operates. Governments in any society deliver a large number of services and goods to their populations. To get the job done, they need public management in order to steer resources - employees, money and laws - into policy outputs and outcomes. In well-ordered societies the teams who work for the state work under a rule-of-law framework, known as public administration. This book covers the key issues of: the principal-agent framework and the public sector public principals and their agents the economic reasons of government public organization, incentives and rationality in government the essence of public administration: legality and the rule of law public policy criteria: the Cambridge and Chicago positions public teams and private teams public firms public insurance public management policy Public Administration & Public Management is essential reading for those with professional and research interests in public administration and public management.

A perspective on the public sector that presents a concise and comprehensive analysis of exactly what it is and how it operates. Governments in any society deliver a large number of services and goods to their populations. To get the job done, they need public management in order to steer resources - employees, money and laws - into policy outputs and outcomes. In well-ordered societies the teams who work for the state work under a rule-of-law framework, known as public administration. This book covers the key issues of: the principal-agent framework and the public sector public principals and their agents the economic reasons of government public organization, incentives and rationality in government the essence of public administration: legality and the rule of law public policy criteria: the Cambridge and Chicago positions public teams and private teams public firms public insurance public management policy Public Administration & Public Management is essential reading for those with professional and research interests in public administration and public management.

What is democracy? Under what conditions does it thrive? What are the consequences of democracy?


This book aims to answer these questions and more by exploring different varieties of democracies around the world. It starts with definitions of democracy, and then divides the concept into three dimensions, which provide a framework for the study of democracy in all its forms. These dimensions form the three main sections of the book:

*constitutional democracy which explores political rights
*participatory democracy which focuses on participation of citizens
*egalitarian democracy which examines outcomes of democracy in terms of equality.


Democracy concludes by surveying the findings of this empirical study and a discussion on the meanings and consequences of democracy in a globalizing world

What is democracy? Under what conditions does it thrive? What are the consequences of democracy?


This book aims to answer these questions and more by exploring different varieties of democracies around the world. It starts with definitions of democracy, and then divides the concept into three dimensions, which provide a framework for the study of democracy in all its forms. These dimensions form the three main sections of the book:

*constitutional democracy which explores political rights
*participatory democracy which focuses on participation of citizens
*egalitarian democracy which examines outcomes of democracy in terms of equality.


Democracy concludes by surveying the findings of this empirical study and a discussion on the meanings and consequences of democracy in a globalizing world

It can be argued that Switzerland has a peculiar set of political institutions, including, for example, decentralized federalism, active referendum demcoracy, and La formule magique (grand coalition). Analzing how these institutions operate in the 1990s, this volume focuses upon the political and social outcomes of these institutions. The book also examines the possibility of institutional reform in Switzerland.

New public management is a topical phrase to describe how management techniques from the private sector are now being applied to public services. This book provides a completely up-to-date overview of the main theoretical models of public sector management, and examines the key changes that have occurred as more and more public services are contracted out to private organisations, as the public sector itself grapples with 'internal markets'. Drawing on economics, organisational theory and poliltics, Jan-Erik Lane presents new public management from an analytical perspective. This book uses game theory and empirical studies in order to assess the pros and cons of new public management.

New public management is a topical phrase to describe how management techniques from the private sector are now being applied to public services. This book provides a completely up-to-date overview of the main theoretical models of public sector management, and examines the key changes that have occurred as more and more public services are contracted out to private organisations, as the public sector itself grapples with 'internal markets'. Drawing on economics, organisational theory and poliltics, Jan-Erik Lane presents new public management from an analytical perspective. This book uses game theory and empirical studies in order to assess the pros and cons of new public management.

This work is a comparative study of the impact of political institutions upon outcomes, and covers some of the major themes in the new institutionalism. It looks at various democratic institutions in order to examine whether some political institutions like Konkordanzdemokratie or corporatism promote better outcomes than Westminster institutions. The evaluation of the performance of political institutions covers the executive, the legislature and the judicial system. The book also looks at economic outcomes such as affluence and GDP growth as well as social ones like income distribution and quality of life. It examines the problems of institutional effects in democracies and dictatorships and provides analysis of some of the major models in political science. The book explores how political institutions matter for political, economic and social outcomes and estimates their impact in relation to other major factors such as culture and social structure.

The New Institutional Politics is a comparative study of the impact of political institutions upon outcomes, and covers some of the major themes in the new institutionalism. It looks at various democratic institutions in order to examine whether some political institutions like Konkordanzdemokratie or corporatism promote better outcomes than Westminster institutions.
The evaluation of the performance of political institutions covers the executive, the legislature and the judicial system. The book also looks at economic outcomes such as affluence and GDP growth as well as social ones like income distribution and quality of life. It examines the problems of institutional effects in democracies and dictatorships and provides analysis of some of the major models in political science.
This is an exploration of how political institutions matter for political, economic and social outcomes and estimates their impact in relation to other major factors such as culture and social structure. It is written for political scientists and graduates studying comparative politics.

eBook available with sample pages: HB:0415183200

Contents:
1. Introduction, Paul Pennings and Jan-Erik Lane
PART 1: COMPARING PARTY SYSTEM CHANGE
2. Electoral Instability and Party System Change in Western Europe,Svante Ersson and Jan-Erik Lane 3. Coalitional Potential and Governmental Power,Stefano Bartolini 4. Parties, Party Systems and Policy Effects,Uwe Wagschal 5. The Triad of Party System Change: Votes, Office and Policy, Paul Pennings
PART II: CHANGE AND STABILITY IN ESTABLISHED SYSTEMS 6. Electoral and Parliamentary Aspects of Dominant Party Systems, Francoise Boucek 7. Great Britain: A Stable, but Fragile, Party System? 8. German Unification and Party System Change, Oskar Niedermayer 9. Party Sytem Change in Israel, 1949-96: A Conceptual and Typological Border_Stretching of Europe, Reuven Y. Hazan 10. Electoral Politics and Governance: Transformation of the Party System in Iceland, 1970-96, Svanur Kristjansson PART III: CHANGE AND STABILITY IN RENEWING SYSTEMS
11. Party System Change in Redemocratizing Countries, Anne Bennett 12. The End of the Beginning: The Partial Consolidation of East Central European Parties and Party Systems, Atilla Agh 13. The Logics of Party System Change in Southern Europe, Jose M. Magone

Muslim societies are struggling under the need for modernization and the drift towards Islamic fundamentalism. The balance between these two forces is struck differently in the various Muslim societies depending upon the constellation of groups as historical legacies. However, the tension is real. In this work, Jan-Erik Lane and Hamadi Redissi look at the underlying social consequences of religious beliefs to account for the political differences between major civilizations of the world against a background of the rise of modern capitalism. Offering a timely new appraisal of the political and social impact of Islam, this expanded second edition of Religion and Politics has been fully updated in line with new events and will be welcomed by political scientists and historians alike. In a readable and accessible style, this thought-provoking work raises the question of whether the tenets of Islam might be reconciled with the requirements of post-modernity.

State Management offers a comprehensive yet concise introduction to the new field of state management, presenting an analysis of basic questions within the theories of bureaucracy, policy-making, principal-agent modelling and policy networks. Focussing upon recent state transformation, it illuminates public sector reform strategies such as New Public Management as well as incorporation, tendering and bidding, decentralization, team production and privatization.

This book argues that we should look upon the variety of models or approaches to public management or public administration as all belonging under "state management." The so-called "working state" in a well-ordered society involves government delivering services, paying for social security and respecting the rule of law. In this text, Jan-Erik Lane systematically examines the key approaches to the study of how government attempts to achieve these goals, discussing the pros and cons of alternative frameworks of analysis.

Each chapter discusses a different issue within state management that is integral to the broader debate, including:

• Public regulation
• The relationship between the law and the state
• Combining ecology and policy making
• Multi-level governance
• The virtues and vices of public-private partnerships
• Policy implementation

Presenting a clear overview of how the state operates when government sets out to deliver public services, and generating questions to encourage new research, State Management is a valuable new text for both undergraduate and postgraduate courses in political science, public administration and public management.

This fully revised and updated edition of an established reference book, provides in one volume the most comprehensive and detailed statistical guide available to the government and politics of the twenty-four countries in the OECD. There is no lack of statistical data about the OECD countries (the nineteen countries of Western Europe together with Cabada, the United States, Japan, Australia, and New Sealand); but much of the material is hard to track down and little is available in comparative form. The editors of the present volume have sifted through many hundreds of sources to select the essential facts and figures on population, social structure, employment, the economy, public finance, government structures, and political parties from 1950 to the present day. In addition they provide social and economic background for each of the countries covered to enable the data to be put in context. A short final section lists sources of further information. The resulting combination is both invaluable and fascinating, whether it is used casually to check up a fact or two, or systematically to make detailed comparisons between the most advanced political systems of the Western world.

Globalization is a common theme in the discourse of post-industrial society, yet it is a process that is ill understood. Is it basically a technological phenomenon or does its immense impulse derive from economic factors? Should it be regulated by government, and at what level? Questions such as these are debated continuously in the mass media, yet there are no simple answers available, as globalization is not only an amporphous but also a contested phenomenon.Government and the Economy is a completely reworked edition of Jan-Erik Lane and Svante Ersson's popular text Comparative Political Economy, which the authors have updated for the twenty-first century. They present a profound analysis of how globalization changes the boundaries between state and market, public and private, and government and society. When the state retreats and markets expand, what are the major outcomes? And what is driving this process of redefining the roles of government and the tasks of society?The book offers a penetrating survey of the differences between the countries of the world in terms of their economy and polity, and a forceful critique of the prevailing models in political economy. Lane and Ersson look closely at Public Choice theories which emphasize the role of markets in accomplishing efficient solutions to human interaction while modeling governments as enhancing state failure. They argue that such accounts are misguided. The need for govenment in the global market economy is as strong as it is in relation to the domestic economy. They go on to suggest that the most efficient and equitable means of strengthening government in the global market place, without creating one-world government, is thereform and empowerment of IGOs.