This student-friendly introduction to the key theories and concepts of comparative politics now provides even broader coverage of the world's democracies, with examples drawn from across the globe. Foundations of Comparative Politics contains a wealth of information, clearly structured and easy to read, with clear definition of Key Terms. It covers all the important themes in the field, including constitutional design and institutions; mass and elite politics; policy-making and implementation; and the future of the state and democracy in a globalising world. A new chapter on studying comparative politics, and new What Have We Learned? and Lessons of Comparison summary sections help students pull together the lessons of each chapter. Combining facts and theory throughout, debate is stimulated through the use of Controversy boxes, and Fact Files and Briefings give students interesting data that illustrates the key issues in the text. Online resources, including MCQs and Powerpoint slides, complete the package.
Author(s): Kenneth Newton, Jan W. van Deth
Edition: 2
Year: 2009
Language: English
Pages: 472
Half-title......Page 3
Series-title......Page 4
Title......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
Dedication......Page 7
Contents......Page 9
Briefings......Page 20
Fact files......Page 22
Controversies......Page 23
Tables......Page 24
Figures......Page 25
Preface to the second edition......Page 26
Acknowledgements......Page 27
Abbreviations and acronyms......Page 28
Key terms and concepts......Page 30
The lessons of comparison......Page 31
Theories of state and society......Page 32
Further reading......Page 33
Websites......Page 34
Understanding our own country......Page 35
Constructing valid generalisations......Page 36
The strengths and weakness of cross-national comparative political science......Page 38
It lacks evidence......Page 39
It suffers from the fatal flaw that what it can measure is not worth studying......Page 40
Every country in the world is unique so comparisons are impossible......Page 41
The themes that run through the book – what to watch for......Page 42
The social and economic basis of politics......Page 43
From a mass of detail to general types......Page 44
PART I The state: origins and development......Page 45
1 The development of the modern state......Page 47
What is a state?......Page 48
Territory, people and sovereignty......Page 53
Historical origins and development......Page 57
State formation and nation building......Page 58
Mass democracies: equalisation......Page 59
Catalysts: warfare and capitalism......Page 60
Growth after 1945......Page 62
State theories......Page 63
Conflict approaches......Page 64
What have we learned?......Page 65
Lessons of comparison......Page 66
Websites......Page 67
2 States and democracy......Page 68
Why study states?......Page 69
Citizens’ rights......Page 73
Elections and parliamentary accountability......Page 74
Democracy and the rise of democratic states......Page 75
Redistribution and the welfare state......Page 80
State supremacy......Page 81
State dependency......Page 82
Separation and autonomy......Page 83
Lessons of comparison......Page 84
Further reading......Page 85
Websites......Page 86
3 Democratic change and persistence......Page 87
Transitions towards democracy......Page 88
The limits of democratisation......Page 91
Embedded, partial and defective democracies......Page 93
Theories of democratic change and persistence......Page 97
Lessons of comparison......Page 99
Further reading......Page 100
Websites......Page 101
PART II The polity: structures and institutions......Page 103
4 Constitutions......Page 105
What a constitution is, and why we have them......Page 106
Executives......Page 109
Legislatures......Page 110
Strong and weak bicameralism......Page 112
Judiciaries......Page 113
Judicial activism......Page 115
The limits of constitutionalism......Page 116
The 'old constitutionalism'......Page 117
The 'new constitutionalism'......Page 119
The mobilisation of bias......Page 120
Marxist structural theory......Page 121
What have we learned?......Page 122
Lessons of comparison......Page 123
Websites......Page 124
5 Presidential and parliamentary government......Page 125
Presidential systems......Page 126
Parliamentary systems......Page 128
Semi-presidential systems......Page 130
Presidential, parliamentary and semi-presidential systems compared......Page 131
Theories of parliamentary, presidential and semi-presidential government......Page 133
The lessons of comparison......Page 136
Websites......Page 137
6 Multi-level government: international, national and sub-national......Page 139
Confederations......Page 141
The national level: federal and unitary states......Page 143
Geographically large countries......Page 145
Countries with markedly different geographical regions......Page 146
Quasi-federal features......Page 148
Unitary, federal and confederal government compared......Page 149
Local government......Page 151
Local self-government......Page 152
Central–local political conflict......Page 153
Democracy, size and efficiency......Page 154
Joint bodies......Page 155
Restructuring local government......Page 156
The arguments for and against centralisation and decentralisation......Page 159
Arguments for centralisation......Page 160
Pluralist theory......Page 161
Rational choice......Page 162
Centre–periphery relations......Page 163
What have we learned?......Page 164
Lessons of comparison......Page 165
Websites......Page 166
7 Policy making and legislating: executives and legislatures......Page 168
Making laws: executives and legislatures......Page 169
The rise of executives......Page 170
Increasing power of executives?......Page 173
Representation of public opinion......Page 175
Scrutiny of the executive and the administration......Page 176
Legislative committees......Page 178
Majoritarian democracy, or the 'Westminster model'......Page 180
Consensus democracy......Page 182
Lessons of comparison......Page 183
Websites......Page 184
8 Implementation: the public bureaucracy......Page 186
The organisation of the state bureaucracy......Page 187
Policy making and administration......Page 191
The power of the official......Page 192
Mechanisms of control......Page 193
Privatisation and market efficiency......Page 194
The rational-legal ideal-type......Page 195
Clientelism......Page 197
Rational choice and bureaucracy......Page 198
The New Public Management......Page 199
Lessons of comparison......Page 200
Further reading......Page 201
Websites......Page 202
PART III Citizens, elites and interest mediation......Page 203
9 Political attitudes and behaviour......Page 205
Political interests and identity......Page 206
Political culture......Page 207
The civic culture......Page 209
Materialism and post-materialism......Page 211
Sub-cultures and elite cultures......Page 213
Political cleavages......Page 214
Different cleavage lines......Page 215
Cleavages in countries and world regions......Page 217
Political behaviour......Page 218
Modes of political behaviour......Page 219
Most people are not political......Page 221
Sporadic political involvement......Page 222
Voters are not fools......Page 223
Changing attitudes and behaviour......Page 225
Elite theory......Page 227
Rational-choice theory......Page 228
What have we learned?......Page 229
Lessons of comparison......Page 230
Websites......Page 231
10 Pressure groups and social movements......Page 232
Voluntary organisations and pressure groups......Page 233
Pressure groups and political parties......Page 235
Social movements......Page 237
Pressure groups and social movements in action......Page 239
Groups and issues......Page 240
The nature of government......Page 241
Indirect routes......Page 242
Determinants of power......Page 244
Group features......Page 245
The political environment......Page 246
Corporatism......Page 247
Para-government......Page 248
Tri-partism/pluralism......Page 249
Groups, pressure groups and democracy......Page 250
Pluralism......Page 251
Marxist/elitist theory......Page 253
Social capital and civil society theory......Page 254
Lessons of comparison......Page 255
Further reading......Page 256
Websites......Page 257
11 The mass media......Page 258
The mass media and democracy......Page 259
The public service model......Page 261
The market model......Page 263
Ownership and control......Page 267
The impact of the new media technology: globalisation and E-politics......Page 268
Theories of the mass media......Page 273
What have we learned?......Page 276
Lessons of comparison......Page 277
Websites......Page 278
12 Voters and elections......Page 279
Voting systems......Page 280
Voting turnout......Page 284
Declining turnout?......Page 285
System variables......Page 286
Party voting......Page 288
Economic voting and stratification......Page 289
Religious voting......Page 290
New party voting patterns......Page 292
Tradition and change in Mexico......Page 294
Sociological approaches: the Columbia school......Page 295
Psychological approaches: the Michigan school......Page 296
Rational choice......Page 297
Lessons of comparison......Page 299
Websites......Page 300
13 Party government......Page 302
Party organisation......Page 303
New parties and movements......Page 305
Party families......Page 306
Party systems......Page 307
One-party and coalition government......Page 310
Coalition government......Page 311
Coalitions and government effectiveness......Page 314
The ‘iron law of oligarchy’......Page 315
Duverger’s law......Page 317
Coalition theory......Page 318
Majoritarian and consensus government revisited......Page 319
What have we learned?......Page 320
Lessons of comparison......Page 321
Websites......Page 322
PART IV Policies and performance......Page 323
14 Political ideologies: conservatism, liberalism, Christian democracy and socialism......Page 325
The nature of ideology......Page 326
Conservatism......Page 328
Economics......Page 329
Parliamentary government and the division of powers......Page 331
Slow reform by individual action......Page 332
Christian democracy......Page 333
Harmony, integration, consultation......Page 335
Mixed economy......Page 336
Ethno-nationalism and territory......Page 338
Green political thought......Page 339
Direct participation and democracy......Page 340
Theories of ideology......Page 341
Neo-Marxist theory......Page 342
Material and non-material interests......Page 343
The end of ideology and the end of history......Page 344
What have we learned?......Page 345
Lessons of comparison......Page 346
Websites......Page 347
15 Decision making......Page 349
The nature of policy-making processes......Page 350
Policy processes......Page 351
Agenda setting......Page 352
Decision making......Page 355
Choice of means......Page 356
Implementation......Page 357
Evaluation and feedback......Page 358
Public policy structures......Page 359
Corporatism......Page 360
Pluralism......Page 362
Tri-partite arrangements......Page 363
Policy communities......Page 364
The rational-comprehensive model......Page 365
Bounded rationality and advocacy coalitions......Page 367
Lessons of comparison......Page 368
Further reading......Page 369
Websites......Page 370
16 Defence and security......Page 371
The state and security......Page 372
Conflict resolution......Page 373
Just wars......Page 375
Military expenditure......Page 376
Law enforcement......Page 379
Crime, punishment and prevention......Page 380
Permission......Page 383
The limitations of state security......Page 384
Terrorism......Page 385
The limits of state power......Page 386
Theories of security and conflict......Page 387
Realism and idealism......Page 388
Policy communities......Page 389
What have we learned?......Page 390
Lessons of comparison......Page 391
Websites......Page 392
17 Welfare......Page 394
Welfare states and redistribution......Page 395
Social security and social expenditure......Page 397
The composition of social expenditure......Page 400
Trends in social expenditure......Page 403
Pensions and health programmes......Page 404
Pensions......Page 405
Health......Page 406
Social security and taxation......Page 408
Theories of the welfare state......Page 410
Institutional approaches......Page 411
International and transnational dependencies......Page 413
What have we learned?......Page 414
Further reading......Page 415
Websites......Page 416
18 The future of the democratic state......Page 417
Proto-states......Page 419
Supra-national states......Page 420
Rise of international NGOs......Page 421
Changing nature of conflicts......Page 423
The retreat of the state?......Page 424
The quality of democracy......Page 426
Reform of state and government......Page 427
The future......Page 430
What have we learned?......Page 431
Lessons of comparison......Page 432
Websites......Page 433
Postscript: How and what to compare?......Page 434
Comparing many or a few countries?......Page 435
Comparing many cases......Page 436
Comparing a few cases......Page 438
Selecting comparable countries......Page 439
How many countries is enough?......Page 442
Comparing apples and oranges......Page 444
Looking for more abstract concepts......Page 445
Looking for equivalent concepts......Page 446
What have we learned?......Page 447
Further reading......Page 448
Websites......Page 449
Glossary of key terms......Page 450
Index of names......Page 464
Index of subjects......Page 467
