Introduction to Politics and Society draws on examples from popular political culture in order to convey how politics operates in the contemporary world. Examples illustrate the meaning of theories and show the relevance of central theoretical debates. Planned and developed with an eye to the needs of students, the book is an extraordinary resource for undergraduate teaching and study needs. It will be required reading for undergraduate students in sociology, politics and social policy.

Power, Politics & Society: An Introduction to Political Sociology discusses how sociologists have organized the study of politics into conceptual frameworks, and how each of these frameworks foster a sociological perspective on power and politics in society. This includes discussing how these frameworks can be applied to understanding current issues and other "real life" aspects of politics. The authors connect with students by engaging them in activities where they complete their own applications of theory, hypothesis testing, and forms of inquiry.

This major new textbook will equip students with a complete understanding of contemporary politics, state and society in the United Kingdom today. Key underlying themes include: The differences between traditional and alternative ‘sites of power’ and what we mean by ‘political’ the relationships between politics, society and how individuals become and remain engaged with politics the rapid transformations in contemporary social structures and their impact on social and political life the role of human agency and its significance to social and political action and movements contemporary cultural and social dislocations and their impact on some of the major contested areas of political life today. Key features include: Key concepts and issues Key theorists and writers Discussion questions Comprehensive and accessible, An Introduction to Politics, State & Society is an essential text for all undergraduate students of politics, the contemporary state, power and political sociology.

This major new textbook will equip students with a complete understanding of contemporary politics, state and society in the United Kingdom today. Key underlying themes include: - the differences between traditional and alternative `sites of power′ and what we mean by `political′ - the relationships between politics, society and how individuals become and remain engaged with politics - the rapid transformations in contemporary social structures and their impact on social and political life - the role of human agency and its significance to social and political action and movements - contemporary cultural and social dislocations and their impact on some of the major contested areas of political life today. Key features include: - key concepts and issues - key theorists and writers - discussion questions Comprehensive and accessible, An Introduction to Politics, State & Society is an essential text for all undergraduate students of politics, the contemporary state, power and political sociology. James W McAuley is Professor of Political Sociology and Irish Studies in the School of Human and Health Sciences at the University of Huddersfield

First published in 1992. Rush and Althoff's An Introduction to Political Sociology was published in 1971 and has been out of print for some years. In the meantime, the scope of political sociology has broadened considerably and a number of its traditional concerns have benefited from further research and publication, although some have suffered from relative neglect. The present volume is not therefore a revised edition of the original book, but a new and much more comprehensive piece of work, covering a number of major themes not previously included. Its purpose is to introduce students to the wide range of concepts, themes and ideas now regarded as central to political sociology and to draw on the extensive research available.

An introduction to Chinese Politics which provides an accessible overview of the structures and dynamics of Chinese politics today. Concentrating on the era since 1949, the text takes a look at politics in the widest sense, analysing political institutions within the crucial broader context of Chinese history and the pressures of social, economic and cultural changes.

In a world seemingly surfing a wave of unprecedented affluence, it is sobering to be reminded that only thirty out of nearly two hundred countries can really be classified as advanced industrialized countries. Eighty per cent of the world's population lives in the developing world. This popular, concise introduction scrutinises the developing world, its varied political institutions and the key social, economic and environmental issues at the heart of contemporary debates. Wide-ranging and clearly written, Politics and Society in the Developing World begins by providing a brisk survey of the major theoretical and methodological interpretations of the social impact of development. It then details the factors which determine the parameters of the developing world before moving on to examine its infrastructure and the crises currently facing it. The book also covers the social and economic contexts of developing societies, the international arena and its impact on the developing world, state-building and the tension between dictatorship and democratization. The book focuses on four policy areas: aid, trade, tourism and the environment.