Ian Budge, Michael D. McDonald

Politics

A Unified Introduction to How Democracy Works

• Gebundenes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

The second edition of this comprehensive introduction to politics remains an essential framework for assessing the health and workings of present-day democracy. The book explores how democratic processes bring public policy into line with popular, basically centrist, preferences. In helping explain its workings, it equips us to better defend democracy. Applying newly integrated theories of democratic processes to contemporary developments such as the use of right-wing populism across the world, it is the first textbook to help readers develop and apply predictive explanations for themselves. In doing so, it provides straightforward practical tools for evaluating how current events impact on democratic procedures and processes. Key features: * provides answers to key questions such as how much contemporary democracies have lost direction under the impact of populist parties, big business and international threats. * validated against statistical evidence and examples from across the world, it details more exactly when and how democracy goes wrong and how to put it right. * shows how to develop predictive explanations as a basis for action, thus strengthening democracy by understanding it better. * outlines - in easy-to-understand terms - the basic statistical approaches that drive empirically informed analysis. * in-text features include chapter summaries, reviews, key points, illustrative briefings, key concepts and project and essay suggestions, further reading. Politics is an essential resource for students of political science hoping a rules-based global order, and of key interest to economics, public policy analysis and more broadly the social sciences.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd
• 2. Auflage
• Seitenzahl: 478
• Erscheinungstermin: 29. Juni 2026
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 246mm x 174mm
• Gewicht: 453g
• ISBN-13: 9781032775197
• ISBN-10: 103277519X
• Artikelnr.: 76255712

Autorenporträt

Ian Budge is Emeritus Professor in the Department of Government, University of Essex, UK, and well known internationally as the author of numerous research articles and textbooks on democratic politics. Michael D. McDonald is Emeritus Professor of Political Science at Binghamton University, USA: a former Director of the Center on Democratic Performance there and a gold medallist for his work in that area.

Inhaltsangabe

1. Introduction: politics and policy - what do we want to explain and how?
PART 1 - PROCESSES: elections alternate party-based governments with
different preferences and priorities, thus bringing public policies into
line with centrist majority preferences in the long run 2. Why politics?
Making policies to provide public goods 3. How popular preferences develop
4. Measuring electoral preferences 5. Electors' policy thinking: from a
joined-up left-right perspective to issue-by-issue reactions 6. Party
policy thinking: framing policy targets and estimating majority preferences
from elections 7. Matching public policy to popular preferences 8. Opening
up to populists: Using alternation theory to analyse US Policy
Representation 1952-2025 PART 2 - RULES: rules designate - but may
misrepresent - majority preferences, thus biasing policy outcomes 9.
Majority choice of policies: voting paradoxes and attempted solutions 10.
General elections and election systems: finalizing the collective choice of
policies PART 3 - PROTAGONISTS: parties and governments shape popular
preferences and reflect them in public policies 11. Citizens, parties and
governments: interactive preference formation 12. Political parties:
ideological policy carriers 13. Governments: prime participants in
policymaking 14. Ministries: separating out policy areas PART 4 - STATES:
collective action without binding rules 15. Globalization and world
democracy 16. Challenges to a rule-based international order PART 5 -
EXPLANATION: explaining politics by specifying its processes more exactly
so as to predict outcomes 17. Generating 'Big Data': sources, procedures,
error checks 18. Simplifying 'Big Data': dimensions, majorities and the
(missing?) middle 19. Managing 'Big Data': theoretical explanation and
statistical analysis 20. Developing political science by explaining
democracy

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Preface: Explaining Politics Systematically. Introduction: Politics and Policy What Do We Want to Explain and How? Part I: Processes. Elections alternate party-based governments with different preferences and priorities thus bringing public policy into line with centrist popular preferences in the long run: Overview 1. Why Politics? Making Policies to Provide Public Goods 2. How Popular Preferences Develop 3. Measuring Electoral Preferences 4. Electors' Policy Thinking: From a Joined Up Left-Right Perspective to Issue-by-Issue Reactions 5. Party Policy Thinking: Framing Policy Targets and Election-Based Estimates of Majority Preferences 6. Matching Public Policy to Popular Preferences 7. The 'Web of Explanation': Relating Process Theories to each other Within a General Political Science Context. Part II: Rules. Rules designate - but may misrepresent - majority preferences, thus biasing policy outcomes: Overview 8. Majority Choice of Policies: Voting Paradoxes and Attempted Solutions 9. General Elections and Election Systems: Finalizing Collective Choice of Policies. Part III: Protagonists. Parties and governments shape popular preferences and reflect them in public policies: Overview 10. Citizens, Parties and Governments: Interactive Preference Formation 11. Parties: Ideological Policy-Carriers 12. Governments: Prime Participants in Policy Making 13. Ministries: Separating out Policy Areas. Part IV: States. Collective action without binding rules: Overview 14. Globalization and World Democracy. Part V: Explanation. Explaining politics by specifying its processes so as to predict outcomes. Overview: Theory-Driven Data-Analysis 15. Generating 'Big Data': Sources, Procedures, Error Checks 16. Simplifying 'Big Data': Dimensions, Majorities and the (Missing?) Middle 17. Managing 'Big Data': Theoretical Explanation and Statistical Analysis 18. Developing Political Science by Explaining Democracy

Rezensionen

"This is a superb text, one that builds on what political scientists have learned and yet integrates and illuminates it. Politics: A Unified Introduction to How Democracy Works makes sense of the political world and how it really works in modern democratic politics, and I heartily recommend it." - Christopher Wlezien, University of Texas at Austin, USA.





"This book is lively, engaging and accessible to anyone who has even a passing interest in politics, policy and government. The chapters cover a wide range of important issues, concepts and foundational ideas in politics." - Zareh Ghazarian, Monash University, Australia.



"This book is a marvellous and useful introduction to modern political science. Professor Ian Budge has produced a fresh approach to study and analyse 'Democratic Politics'. By means of 'predictive theory' the student can understand and explain the political process in full. I am convinced that this introduction fills a void and is an asset for any student of political science, be it a freshman or advanced in this field." - Hans Keman, VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands.



"For any student interested in a systematic and rigorous introduction to a science of politics, this book is a must-read" - Edoardo Bressanelli, King's College London, UK.



"Terrific systematic presentation which specifies the conditions under which contemporary democracies operate clearly and concisely both for students and the general public." - Jean Blondel, Founding Professor, Department of Government, University of Essex, UK, and Founding Director of the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR).