Political economy, in its various guises and transfigurations, is a research philosophy that presents both social commentary and theoretical progress and is concerned with a number of different topics: politics, regulation and governance, production systems, social relations, inequality and development amongst many others. As a critical theory, political economy seeks to provide an understanding of societies – and of the structures and social relations that form them – in order to evoke social change toward more equitable conditions. Despite the early influence of critical development studies and political economy on tourism research, political economy has received relatively little attention in tourism research. Political Economy and Tourism the first volume to bring together different theoretical perspectives and discourse in political economy related to tourism. Written by leading scholars, the text is organised into three sequential Parts, linked by the principle that ‘the political’ and ‘the economic’ are intimately connected. Part one presents different approaches to political economy, including Marxist political economy, regulation, comparative political economy, commodity chain research and alternative political economies; Part two links key themes of political economy, such as class, gender, labour, development and consumption, to tourism; and Part three examines the political economy at various geographical scales and focuses on the outcomes and processes of the political act of planning and managing tourism production. This engaging volume provides insights and alternative critical perspectives on political economy theory to expand discussions of tourism development and policy in the future. Political Economy and Tourism is a valuable text for students, researchers and academics interested in Tourism and related disciplines.

Drawing together leading scholars, the book provides a revealing new map of the US political economy in cross-national perspective.

Two decades after the publication of the seminal Models in Geography, edited by Richard Chorley & Peter Haggett, this major collection of specially commissioned essays charts the new human geography from the perspective of political economy. Providing surveys of recent trends in theory, bibliographic guides to the literature, and pointers to advances and frontiers in thinking, the book ranges from cultural to economic and urban geography. The authors explore the connections between political economy and geographical thought in each area, with the emphasis lying on the processes of material production and social reproduction.

This exploration of some of the more important frameworks used for understanding the relationship between politics and economics includes the classical, Marxian, Keynesian, neoclassical, state-centered, power-centered, and justice-centered.

Now in its fourth edition, this best-selling reader in international political economy offers 31 solid articles - 15 new - by renowned scholars in political science and economics. Frieden and Lake have edited and introduced each reading with care to ensure its accessibility to students who are new to the subject. This reader continues to offer a provocative look at the postive and negative impacts of globalization.

A theoretical framework for analyzing the complex relationship of education, growth, and income distribution. The dominant role played by the state in the financing, regulation, and provision of primary and secondary education reflects the widely-held belief that education is necessary for personal and societal well-being. The economic organization of education depends on political as well as market mechanisms to resolve issues that arise because of contrasting views on such matters as income inequality, social mobility, and diversity. This book provides the theoretical framework necessary for understanding the political economy of education—the complex relationship of education, economic growth, and income distribution—and for formulating effective policies to improve the financing and provision of education. The relatively simple models developed illustrate the use of analytical tools for understanding central policy issues. After offering a historical overview of the development of public education and a review of current econometric evidence on education, growth, and income distribution, the authors lay the theoretical groundwork for the main body of analysis. First they develop a basic static model of how political decisions determine education spending; then they extend this model dynamically. Applying this framework to a comparison of education financing under different regimes, the authors explore fiscal decentralization; individual choice between public and private schooling, including the use of education vouchers to combine public financing of education with private provision; and the social dimension of education—its role in state-building, the traditional "melting pot" that promotes cohesion in a culturally diverse society.