As citizens, why do we care about the everyday life of ministers and civil servants? We care because the decisions of the great and the good affect all our lives, for good or ill. For all their personal, political, and policy failings and foibles, they make a difference. So, we want to know what ministers and bureaucrats do, why, and how. We are interested in their beliefs and practices. In his fascinating piece of political anthropology, Rod Rhodes uncovers exactly how the British political elite thinks and acts. Drawing on unprecedented access to ministers and senior civil servants in three government departments, he answers a simple question: 'what do they do?' On the basis of extensive fieldwork, supplemented by revealing interviews, he tries to capture the essence of their everyday life. He describes the ministers' and permanent secretaries' world through their own eyes, and explores how their beliefs and practices serve to create meaning in politics, policy making, and public-service delivery. He goes on to analyze how such beliefs and practices are embedded in traditions; in webs of protocols, rituals, and languages. The story he has to tell is dramatized through in-depth accounts of specific events to show ministers and civil servants 'in action'. He challenges the conventional constitutional, institutional, and managerial views of British governance. Instead, he describes a storytelling political-administrative elite, with beliefs and practices rooted in the Westminster model, which uses protocols and rituals to domesticate rude surprises and cope with recurrent dilemmas.

The third edition of this best-selling, prize-winning textbook continues to lead the field with its widely acknowledged capacity to enthuse students through its challenging and thought-provoking style. With the reforming Blair government in its second term, evidence of popular disenchantment with traditional politics, globalization and new levels of terrorism, British politics continues in a state of dramatic flux. To chart the most recent developments in contemporary British politics, this edition has been updated in all its 22 chapters. * Coherent structure of this single-authored textbook makes it exceptionally easy to use and draws the threads together with a holistic perspective * Brings the subject to life by taking the reader beyond 'facts' to the fascinating questions about power, ambition, intrigue and corruption in the real world of politics * Attractively presented, with memorable quotations, cartoons, photographs, diagrams and tables to enliven the text and make the learning process involving and informative * Glossary, impressive bibliography and up-to-date chronology. * Supported by a textsite designed for students and lecturers: www.polity.co.uk/kingdom Well established as a central text for students of British politics and government, the book has also proved of wide relevance throughout the social sciences.

Introducing you to the public policy making process in Britain today, this book adopts an empirical approach to the study of policy making by relating theory to actual developments in Britain since the 1980s. It covers: Ideas, Problem Definition, Issues and Agenda-Setting Key Individuals Key Institutions Parliament and Public Policy Implementation The shift from Government to Governance (including marketization, and devolution) The increasing role of the private and voluntary sectors in policy delivery Internationalisation and Europeanization of policies and policy making Evaluation, audits and the New Public Management Each chapter is enriched by recent real-life case studies and boxes illustrating key arguments, concepts and empirical developments. Taking into account the 2010 election and beyond, the book addresses current issues, developments and debates. The result is a contemporary and engaging text that will be required reading for all students of British politics, public policy and public administration.

Prior to 2011, popular imagination perceived the Muslim Middle East as unchanging and unchangeable, frozen in its own traditions and history. In Life as Politics, Asef Bayat argues that such presumptions fail to recognize the routine, yet important, ways in which ordinary people make meaningful change through everyday actions. First published just months before the Arab Spring swept across the region, this timely and prophetic book sheds light on the ongoing acts of protest, practice, and direct daily action. The second edition includes three new chapters on the Arab Spring and Iran's Green Movement and is fully updated to reflect recent events. At heart, the book remains a study of agency in times of constraint. In addition to ongoing protests, millions of people across the Middle East are effecting transformation through the discovery and creation of new social spaces within which to make their claims heard. This eye-opening book makes an important contribution to global debates over the meaning of social movements and the dynamics of social change.

Michael Scott's Áras Mhic Dhiarmada and BusÁras is one of the most important modernist buildings in Ireland. Built between 1947 and 1953, it was intended to be a bus station like no other, providing ordinary working people with a range of amenities including a roof-top restaurant, incredible panoramic views of Dublin, a crèche, and a 24-hour newsreel cinema. It was to be a microcosm of the city, providing dignity, comfort, and convenience to bus users. From its inception the project was gripped in controversy. Construction ground to a halt for three years as Government and opposition argued over the merits and uses of the building. In the end it became home to the Department of Social Protection and Bus Éireann's provincial bus services. Despite receiving widespread acclaim for its architectural and design innovations, today it is a much maligned and misunderstood building. In this exciting collaboration, writer Eoin Ó Broin and photographer Mal McCann explore the vision behind ÁrÁras Mhic Dhiarmada and BusÁras, and celebrate the energy, creativity, and neglect of this incredible example of Irish modernist architecture and design.