polity press united kingdom oxford (27 Ergebnisse)

Paperback. Zustand: Good. What is democracy? Why should we value it? What is the relation between democracy and individual rights? Is majority rule always democratic? Why do we have political parties? Are some electoral systems more democratic than others? What is the relation between nationalism and democracy, or democracy and a market economy? How can democracy be maintained and improved? What difference does it make to ordinary people? What is its future? These are only some of the questions addressed in this important new textbook. Its authors were specially commissioned by UNESCO to assemble eighty of the most pressing questions about democracy in the world today, and to provide clear and authoritative answers to them. The result is a masterpiece of succinct exposition, which will be of value to all those who want to know more about democratic theory and practice, of value to students, interested citizens, political activists or employees in the public service, whether they live in established or developing democracies. The questions are systematically arranged in six sections: basic concepts and principles; free and fair elections; open and accountable government; individual rights and their defence; democratic or civil society; the future of democracy. The book forms an outstanding introduction to what is, perhaps, the most important concept in politics. The book has been read but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact and the cover is intact. Some minor wear to the spine.

Paperback. Zustand: Very Good. This book focuses on global structures that are producing new patterns of North/South and rich/poor domination, as well as exerting dangerous pressures on the carrying capacities of the planet, arguing that any hopeful response to these threatening developments requires the fundamental revision of such basic ideas as sovereignty, democracy and security. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Zustand: Very Good. European Welfare Futures presents a clear and up--to--date analysis of developments in social policy in the main EU member states. It provides a systematic account of welfare retrenchment and assesses the competing explanations of this process. The authors provide convincing evidence for the view that an a ever closer uniona in social policy will require a much more difficult process than that which led to monetary union. The book makes a major contribution to understanding how welfare policy in Europe will develop over the next few years. It offers an original and wide--ranging account of the forces affecting the direction of policy, and stresses the role of social and political institutions in explaining why countries differ. European Welfare Futures will be essential reading for undergraduates, graduate students and scholars in social policy, sociology, political science, area studies and international relations courses. It will also be of great interest to policy--makers in the EU, especially in the areas of pensions, health, social care and unemployment. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Zustand: Very Good. The second edition of this highly respected reader, has been comprehensively overhauled, bringing it wholly up-to-date with contemporary discussions about this most crucial area of social and political life. As well as bringing together classic debates, it constitutes an invaluable guide to what is happening at the cutting-edge of welfare research. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Zustand: Very Good. Questions about who we are, who we can be, and who is like and unlike us underpin a vast range of contemporary social issues. What makes our families so important to us? Why do we attach such significance to being ourselves? Why do so many television programmes promise to revolutionise our lives? Who are we really? In this highly readable new book, Steph Lawler examines a range of important debates about identity. Taking a sociological perspective, she shows how identity is produced and embedded in social relationships, and worked out in the practice of peoples everyday lives. She challenges the perception of identity as belonging within the person, arguing instead that it is produced and negotiated between persons. Chapter-by-chapter her book carefully explores topics such as the relationships between lives and life-stories, the continuing significance of kinship in the face of social change, and how taste works to define identity. For Lawler, without understanding identity, we can't adequately begin to understand the social world. This book will be essential reading on upper-level courses across the social sciences that focus on the compelling issues surrounding identity. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Zustand: Very Good. As we struggle with the legacy of the crisis and with the prospect of accelerating environmental degradation, it is time to ask not what we can do for capitalism but what capitalism can do for us, as citizens of a democratic society. In Civic Capitalism, Colin Hay and Anthony Payne build on their influential analysis of the crisis of the Anglo-liberal growth model to set out a coherent account of the steps required to build an alternative that is more sustainable socially, economically and environmentally. They argue that it is time to move on from the Anglo-liberal model of capitalism whose failings were so cruelly exposed by the crisis. They outline a new model that will work better in advanced capitalist societies, showing how this might be acheived in Britain today. They call this civic capitalism the governance of the market, by the state, in the name of the people, to deliver collective public goods, equity and social justice. This reverses the long ascendant logic of Anglo-liberalism in which citizens have been made to answer to the perceived logics of the capitalism they have been made to serve. The crisis shows us that we can no longer be driven by the perceived imperatives of the old model and by those who have claimed for far too long and, as it turns out, falsely to be able to discern for us the imperatives of the market. It is now time to ask what capitalism can do for us and not what we can do for capitalism. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Zustand: Very Good. This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the study of development and the developing world. Written in a clear and accessible way, it introduces students to the key theoretical perspectives and conceptual frameworks in development studies, and provides a guide to contemporary issues and current debates. The early part of the book focuses on definitions and theories of development, providing a historical account of the evolution of development theory and practice in the last few decades -- through the impasse in development studies in the 1980s to the consolidation of the neo--liberal consensus across the world. Subsequent chapters analyse key development strategies -- the role of the state and of international trade -- in the context of a number of contemporary problems, including the spread of HIV in Africa, the use of GM technology in agriculture and the role of education, population growth and urbanization. In doing so, Kambhampati highlights the interdependence between the causes and consequences of development, emphasizing why the development problem has been hard both to identify and to solve. Development and the Developing World will be an essential text for undergraduate and graduate students coming to the subject for the first time and taking courses in development studies, globalization and international relations. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Zustand: Very Good. Understanding the Life Course provides a uniquely comprehensive guide to understanding the entire life course from an interdisciplinary perspective. Combining the important insights sociology and psychology have to bring to the study of the life course, the book presents the concept's theoretical underpinnings in an accessible style, supported by real-life examples. What do reality TV shows such as Supernanny really tell us about child development? Are teenage rebellions and midlife crises written into our DNA? Does being a grandparent - or even a great-grandparent - equate to being old? This book encourages readers to think about these questions by highlighting the many different ways the life course can be interpreted, including themes of linearity and multi-directionality, continuity and discontinuity, and the interplay between nature and nurture, or genetics and culture. From birth and becoming a parent, to death and grieving for the loss of others, key research studies and theories are introduced, and their contemporary relevance and validity discussed. All stages of the life course are considered in conjunction with issues of social inequality (such as social class, race/ethnicity and gender) and critical examination of lay viewpoints. The book's comprehensive coverage of the life course counters the limitations of working with a certain group or age category in isolation, and its interdisciplinary focus recognizes the centrality of working in and across multi-professional teams and organizations. It will be essential reading for students on vocational programmes in social work, the allied health professions, nursing and education, and will provide thought-provoking insight into the wider contexts of the life course for students of psychology and sociology. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Zustand: Very Good. Challenging the conventional view that the family is a coherent institution, this work argues that sociologists and anthropologists should concentrate on the study of human reproduction. Robertson's view is that looking back on the pre-industrial world can help us understand people's dependence on such institutions as banks, schools, factories, clinics and others. It can also increase awareness of how human experience of industrialism has biased people's thinking about family life. The book pursues the idea that in order to understand and perhaps influence key issues of modern life - gender and generation gaps, economic and political implications of increased longevity - people need to readdress the role of the family, ignoring emotional prejudices, and assemble new interpretations of the social organization of reproduction. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Zustand: Good. Watching Television. The book has been read but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact and the cover is intact. Some minor wear to the spine.

Paperback. Zustand: Fair. Local government and the local structure of the state have recently emerged as major areas of political conflict. This book provides a comprehensive analysis of the crisis in local - central relations, firmly placing political events in the context of the development of both central political powers and local autonomy. The book focuses on the key period of increasing centralisation since 1976, which has involved progressive central control over local government finance, centralized policies for local service delivery, centrally-steered experiments such as Enterprise Zones and UDCs and all-out attacks on local government autonomy with rate-capping and abolition. But this period also includes the emergence of resistance campaigns and alternative local policies. The authors examine how local - central relations have changed and why they have changed. As well as examining local - central relations as a whole, the book has core studies of local economic policy, housing, civil defence, health, water and transport. Evaluating the debates on local state and local government, the book provides a conceptualization of the nature and role of the local state within the process of uneven development. This work should be of interest to 2nd and 3rd year undergraduates studying local government, post-graduates, researchers and teachers in political science, government, geography, urban sociology and urban studies. A readable copy of the book which may include some defects such as highlighting and notes. Cover and pages may be creased and show discolouration.

Paperback. Zustand: Very Good. The eighteenth-century Enlightenment saw the birth of the concept of modernity - of an era which sought legitimacy not from the past but from the future. No longer would human beings invoke the authority of tradition; instead, the societies emerging in the West would justify themselves by their success, through the application of scientific knowledge, in increasing control of the world. Ever since this idea of modernity was formulated, it has provoked immense debate. In exploring this debate, Alex Callinicos provides a wide-ranging historical and introduction to social theory which traces its connections with central themes in modern philosophy, with the development of political economy, and with the impact of evolutionary biology on social thought. The theorists treated include Montesquieu, Adam Smith and the Scottish Enlightenment, Hegel, Marx, Tocqueville, Maistre, Gobineau, Darwin, Spencer, Kautsky, Nietzsche, Durkheim, Weber, Simmel, Freud, Luk, Gramsci, Heidegger, Keynes, Hayek, Parsons, the Frankfurt School, L, Althusser, Foucault, Habermas and Bourdieu. A concluding chapter considers the contemporary condition of social theory including the analysis of late modernity by Ulrich Beck and Anthony Giddens. Alex Callinicos's volume provides a remarkably comprehensive and lucid account of social theory. It will be essential reading for students of politics, sociology and social and political thought. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Zustand: Very Good. How should we understand the nature and scope of democracy? To what domains of life should it be applied? Or, alternatively, should democracy be clearly defined to maintain other important ends? This study examines changing responses to these questions from classical Athens to modern times. The context, nature and limits of each major development in democratic theory are explored. Among the thinkers discussed are Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Locke, Wollstonecraft, Rousseau, Mill and Marx, as well as 20th-century analysts of democracy including Weber, Dahl, Hayek and Macpherson. The book concludes with an argument that seeks to move contemporary discussion beyond the seemingly endless juxtaposition of one classical position with another. It defends a conception of democracy that departs decisively from both the liberal and Marxist traditions. David Held is the author of Introduction to Critical Theory: Horkheimer to Habermas, Habermas: Critical Debates, co-author of Classes, Power and Conflict: Classical and Contemporary Debates, States and Societies and State and Society in Contemporary Britain. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Zustand: Very Good. Thoroughly revised and fully updated, An Introduction to Sociology gives concise yet comprehensive coverage of all the topics specified by the GCSE examining boards. The second edition was described by the AQA's Chief Examiner for GCSE Sociology as establishing 'the standard for textbooks at this level' - this new edition builds on the book's existing achievements. New material is found throughout the book, including substantive new sections on gender, identity, citizenship, education, new social movements, poverty and the welfare state, religion, the mass media, work and leisure, and population. The book has been carefully designed to support and extend students' learning.Each chapter begins with a summary of the key issues to be covered, and goes on to highlight important terms, which are then explained in a clear glossary. Summaries at the end of each chapter, a lively range of new activities and discussion points, the use of websites, as well as helpful suggestions for coursework, all add to the book's value as a learning and teaching resource. Student-friendly cartoons, tables, diagrams, and photographs - and the re-designed internal lay-out - also enliven the text, making sociology seem exciting and relevant to students of all interests and abilities. The new edition of this highly successful textbook will prove invaluable to anyone taking an introductory sociology course, especially at GCSE and related levels. Students taking AS and A-level - as well as Access, nursing, and health and social care courses - will also find the book provides an easy and fun introduction to studying sociology. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Zustand: Very Good. Politicians invoke grand ideas: social justice, democracy, liberty, equality,community. But what do these ideas really mean? How can politicians across the political spectrum appeal to the same values? This revised and expanded edition of Political Philosophy: A Beginner's Guide for Students and Politicians, answers these important questions. Accessible and lively, the book is an ideal student text, but it also brings the insights of the world's leading political philosophers to a wide general audience. Using plenty of examples, it equips readers to think for themselves about the ideas that shape political life. Democracy works best when both politicians and voters move beyond rhetoric to think clearly and carefully about the political principles that should govern their society. But clear thinking is difficult in an age when established orthodoxies have fallen by the wayside. Bringing political philosophy out of the ivory tower and within the reach of all, this book provides us with tools to cut through the complexities of modern politics. In so doing, it makes a valuable contribution to the democratic process. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Zustand: Very Good. What is sociology? Why do I need sociology to be a social worker? How can sociology help to improve my practice? This major new textbook clearly shows how sociology can inform professional social work practice in the 21st century. It provides an easy-to-follow, jargon-free introduction to sociology for social work students, and covers a comprehensive range of topics. The book has been carefully designed to support and extend students learning, showing how sociology is exciting and relevant topic to social work with a variety of service user groups. Richly illustrated with evidence and examples, the book uses engaging case studies to demonstrate the relevance of sociology to everyday practice. This book provides: * Clearly defined learning aims * Structured activities and questions for discussion * A glossary of key sociological concepts. * Annotated bibliographies for further reading Although it assumes no previous knowledge of sociology, the book contains enough depth to suit those with some background in the discipline, as well as emphasizing the crucial links to practice. All three authors have a wealth of experience of teaching sociology at diploma, undergraduate and post-graduate levels to health and social care students, and use their expertise to demonstrate how sociology can contribute to positive social work practice. The book will be a valuable teaching aid within social work education, and other relevant health and social care disciplines. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Zustand: Very Good. What is social control? How do social controls become part of everyday life? What role does the criminal justice system play in exerting control? Is the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness a form of social control? Do we need more social controls to prevent terrorist atrocities? In this clear and engaging new book, James J. Chriss carefully guides readers through the debates about social control. The book provides a comprehensive guide to historical debates and more recent controversies, examining in detail the criminal justice system, medicine, everyday life, and national security. Assuming no specialist knowledge on the part of readers, he uses a rich range of contemporary examples to illustrate the ways in which social control is exerted and maintained. He discusses events such as the terrorist attacks in London and New York, racial profiling, the use of surveillance cameras, urban ghettos, and the diagnosis of conditions like ADHD. Social Control will be essential reading for students taking courses in deviance and social control, and will also appeal to those studying criminology, the sociology of law and medical sociology. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Zustand: Very Good. This new textbook has been designed to accompany Ken Browne's widely-used Sociology for AS AQA . Ken Browne has teamed up with co-authors Jonathan Blundell, Pamela Law and Margaret Whalley who have a wealth of classroom experience and all share a passion for teaching sociology. In this book they combine sociological rigour and accessibility for final-year A-level students. This exciting, full-colour textbook includes: chapters on each topic covered in the A2 specification; special sections on research methods in the chapter on crime and deviance, and stratification and differentiation; up-to-date discussions of a wide range of recent sociological data and debates; lots of colour photographs and diagrams to bring ideas to life and fire students' imaginations; a dedicated website, including resources for teachers and additional material designed to help students revise or research themes in the book. Key sociological terms are systematically highlighted throughout the text and are included in a comprehensive glossary, with thoughtful questions and activities at important points within the chapters to develop and test students' understanding further. Exam style questions are also found in every chapter. Pitched at exactly the right level for the new AQA A2 sociology specification, the book provides all the tools necessary to help students achieve top grades and encourage them to take their study of sociology further, whatever their needs, interests and abilities. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Zustand: Good. This book provides a clear, concise and readable introduction to philosophy in the continental tradition. It is a wide-ranging and reliable guide to the work of such major figures as Habermas, Foucault, Derrida, Heidegger, Sartre and Nietzsche. At the same time, it situates their thought within a coherent overall account of the development of continental philosophy since the Enlightenment. Individual chapters consider the character of modernity, the Enlightenment and its continental critics; the ideas of Marxism, the Frankfurt School and Habermas; hermeneutics and phenomenology; existentialism; structuralism and post-structuralism; and postmodernism. In addition to the thinkers already mentioned, there is extended discussion of the ideas of Kant, Hegel, Dilthey, Husserl, Gadamer, Kierkegaard, De Beauvoir and Lyotard.An Introduction to Continental Philosophy is an invaluable introductory text for courses on continental philosophy as well as courses dealing with major figures or influential approaches within that tradition. It will also be most helpful to students and academics from the many disciplines which have been significantly influenced by continental philosophy in recent years, including politics, sociology, anthropology, psychology, theology, literature and cultural studies. The book has been read but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact and the cover is intact. Some minor wear to the spine.

Paperback. Zustand: Very Good. `The Myriad Faces of War' is a unique and compelling study of the First World War from the standpoint of British involvement. It explores the reasons for Britain's entry into the war, the nature and course of British participation and the far-reaching repercussions of the war on British society. The result is a rich and comprehensive chronicle of the social, political, diplomatic and military aspects of the Great War. A distinctive feature of the book is the way in which the author draws on diaries and memoirs to reconstruct images of how the war was experienced, both by soldiers who were fighting at the front and by civilians who were remote from actual combat. We are presented with vivid accounts of how the war appeared to soldiers marching to Mons, fighting on the Somme, patrolling the North Sea, as well as accounts of how the war was perceived by the men and women who worked in the factories and fields at home. `The Myriad Faces of War' is the outcome of more than ten years research. High standards of scholarship are combined with a clear, accessible style and the text is illustrated throughout with maps and photographs. This book will be of great value not only to students of history and politics, butalso to anyone who is interested in the social and military aspects of the Great War. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Zustand: Very Good. In this critical discussion of the debates surrounding Margaret Thatcher, the first part presents a general review of the account of Thatcherism developed by academics and economic and political analysts from the mid-70s, and part two situates and reproduces a debate on the subject between Stuart Hall and the authors. In the third part the authors relate the issues raised by competing accounts of Thatcherism to some of the key theoretical and methodological problems in current social and political analysis such as - structure and agency, state-centred versus society-centred approaches to politics, the relative autonomy of the political, the role of class interests and social movements. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Zustand: Very Good. How can we understand gender in the contemporary world? What psychological differences now exist between women and men? How are masculinities and femininities made? And what is the relationship between gender issues and globalizing concerns such as environmental change and economic restructuring? Raewyn Connell, one of the world's leading scholars in the field, is here joined by Rebecca Pearse as they answer these questions and more. Their book provides a readable introduction to modern gender studies, covering empirical research from all parts of the world in addition to theory and politics. As well as introducing the field, Gender provides a powerful contemporary framework for gender analysis with a strong and distinctive global awareness. Highlighting the multi-dimensional character of gender relations, the authors show how to link personal life with large-scale organizational structures and how gender politics changes its form in changing situations. The third edition of this influential and accessible book includes a whole new chapter on ecofeminism, environmental justice and sustainability. It also brings the review of research up to date throughout and explains new debates and emerging gender theories. Gender is engaged scholarship that moves from personal experience to global problems and offers a unique perspective on gender issues today. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Zustand: Very Good. Thoroughly revised and fully updated, this fourth edition of An Introduction to Sociology provides an accessible and engaging introduction to sociology, without oversimplifying or passing over the important and exciting insights sociology has to offer. Building on the book's existing achievements, Ken Browne has restructured the fourth edition to focus on the core issues in sociology considered in introductory courses, covering all the substantive topics and many of the options specified by the main GCSE examining boards. The new edition has been completely updated to reflect contemporary social changes, including the latest statistics and topical illustrative examples. New material is to be found throughout, such as extended treatment of family and household diversity, the effects of new media technologies, citizenship, political participation and protest, and the links between sociology, social problems and social policymaking in a range of contexts. The book has been carefully designed to support and extend students' learning: summaries of key issues, a clear glossary, and a lively range of activities and discussion points, all add to the book's value as a learning and teaching resource. Student-friendly cartoons, tables, diagrams and photographs - as well as a fresh internal design - also enliven the text, presenting sociology as an exciting and relevant topic to students of all ages, interests and abilities. The new edition of this highly successful textbook will prove invaluable to anyone taking an introductory sociology course, especially at GCSE and related levels. Students taking Access, nursing, and health and social care courses will also find the book provides an easy-to-follow and thoughtful introduction to studying sociology. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Zustand: Very Good. The Conservatives are back - but what took them so long? Why did the world's oldest and most successful political party dump Margaret Thatcher only to commit electoral suicide under John Major? Just as importantly, what stopped the Tories getting their act together until David Cameron came along? And what did Cameron do that William Hague, Iain Duncan Smith and Michael Howard couldn't or wouldn't? Has the Tory leader changed his party as much as he claims? Or has his leadership involved more compromise - and more Conservatism - than we realise? The answers, as this accessible and gripping book shows, are as intriguing and provocative as the questions. Based on in-depth research and interviews with the key players, Tim Bale explains how and why the Tories got themselves into so much trouble - and how and why they were eventually able to rediscover their winning ways. The answer, he suggests, lies in the people, the power structures, the ideas, and the very different interests of those involved. The Conservative Party: From Thatcher to Cameron is a must-read for anyone wanting to understand what makes the Tories tick. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Zustand: Very Good. Gwen John was just one of a group of talented women at the Slade School of Art, a group which also included Edna Clarke Hall, Ida Nettleship and Gwen Smith. This biography tells the story of these four women's lives, from their shared student days at the Slade through the subsequent development of their careers. It has often been assumed that marriage and immersion in domestic responsibilities terminated the promising careers of these women. But Thomas shows that, despite these complications, they continued in serious artistic endeavour throughout their lives, producing work of a highly original and individual character. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.