British Polity, The, CourseSmart eTextbook / Edition 5 available in Paperback, eBook
British Polity, The, CourseSmart eTextbook / Edition 5
- ISBN-10:
- 0321216660
- ISBN-13:
- 9780321216663
- Pub. Date:
- 02/09/2010
- Publisher:
- Taylor & Francis
- ISBN-10:
- 0321216660
- ISBN-13:
- 9780321216663
- Pub. Date:
- 02/09/2010
- Publisher:
- Taylor & Francis
British Polity, The, CourseSmart eTextbook / Edition 5
Buy New
$93.33Buy Used
$54.56
-
SHIP THIS ITEM— Not Eligible for Free Shipping$54.56
-
SHIP THIS ITEM
Temporarily Out of Stock Online
Please check back later for updated availability.
-
Overview
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780321216663 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Taylor & Francis |
| Publication date: | 02/09/2010 |
| Series: | Choices: Custom Resources in Political Science Series |
| Edition description: | New Edition |
| Pages: | 496 |
| Product dimensions: | 6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d) |
About the Author
Table of Contents
Preface xiii
Part I Introduction xviii
Chapter 1 The Contemporary Landscape 1
Land and Population 2
Linguistic and Racial Differences 5
Religion 7
Class 9
Education 13
Marriage, Family, and Social Demography 16
Employment 17
Personal Wealth and Taxation 19
Conclusion 20
Chapter 2 The Political Culture 22
Political Socialization 23
Family 23
Education 23
Occupation 24
Location 25
Mass Media 26
A Complex Mix 26
The Political Culture 27
Orientation toward Problem Solving 27
Orientation toward the Political System 29
Orientation toward Cooperation and Individuality 33
Orientation toward Other People 35
Adapting or Declining? 37
Chapter 3 Past and Present: Historical Perspective and Legacies 43
Historical Perspective 44
The Emergence of Parliamentary Government 44
The Welfare State and the Managed Economy 49
The Politics of Thatcher and Blair 53
Great Britain or Little England? 56
Legacy of Empire 56
Legacy of War 57
Legacy of Class 58
Legacy of Political Institutions 58
Part II The Political Environment 62
Chapter 4 The Uncodified Constitution 63
Forms of Expression 65
Sources 65
Means of Amendment 68
Interpretation 69
Main Provisions 69
Parliamentary Sovereignty 70
The Rule of Law 72
Unitary (or Union) State 73
Parliamentary Government under a Constitutional Monarchy 74
The Changing Constitution 77
European Union Membership 77
Constitutional Reform under a Labour Government 79
Conclusion 81
Chapter 5 The Electoral System: Campaigns, Voting, and Voters 84
The Electoral Structure 86
Electors 86
Constituencies 88
Campaigns 93
Candidates 96
Candidate Selection 100
Elections 103
Voting Behavior 105
Explanations of Voting Behavior 109
Class 109
Consumption 110
Location 110
Issues 113
Performance Evaluation 113
The Current Debate 115
A Dysfunctional Electoral System? 115
An Effective Electoral System? 118
A New Electoral System? 119
Box 5.1 Alternative Electoral Systems 121
List System 121
Single Transferable Vote (STV) 121
Additional Member System (AMS) 121
Alternative Vote (AV) 121
Supplementary Vote (SV) 122
Alternative Vote Plus (AV PLUS) 122
Chapter 6 Political Parties: More or Less Than a Two-Party System? 127
The Parties in Britain 128
The Conservative Party 130
Party Organization 140
Party Funding 142
The Labour Party 143
Party Organization 152
Party Funding 154
Third Parties 155
The Liberal Democrats 156
Scottish and Welsh Nationalists 160
Northern Ireland Parties 161
Other Parties 162
Decline in Two-Party Support 164
Structural Dealignment 166
Policy Orientation 167
Performance 168
Decline in Party Support 169
Disillusionment 169
Displacement 170
Disinterest 170
Conclusion 171
Chapter 7 Interest Groups: Insiders or Outsiders? 175
Types of Interest Groups 176
Sectional Interest and Promotional Groups 176
Insider and Outsider Groups 177
The Development of Interest Groups 179
Sectional Interest Groups 180
Labor 180
Business 182
Agriculture 183
Promotional Groups 184
Relations with Government 185
Pluralism 186
Corporatism 186
Policy Networks 186
The Period up to 1979 187
Insider Croups: Institutionalization 187
Insider Croups: Tripartism 189
Outsider Groups: Greater Activity 190
From Tripartism to Pluralism: The Period of Conservative Government, 1979-97 192
High Policy: Exclusion 192
Medium and Low-Level Policy: Inclusion 193
Lobbying Government 194
Lobbying Parliament 194
Lobbying the European Union 196
Policy Networks: Lobbying under Labour 197
The Current Debate 198
Conclusion 201
Part III Governmental Decision Making 204
Chapter 8 The Executive: Government at the Center 205
The Structure 206
The Prime Minister 206
Prime-Ministerial Powers 208
The Cabinet 215
Ministers 223
Departments 226
Agencies 227
Civil Service 228
Nondepartmental Public Bodies 231
The Current Debate 233
The Presidential Model 233
The Baronial Model 236
The Bureaucratic Model 237
The Power Dependency Model 240
Conclusion 242
Chapter 9 The European Union: Government above the Center 246
From Community to Union 247
Constitutional Implications 251
Economic Implications 254
Political Implications 256
Institutions of the European Union 258
Elections to the European Parliament 262
The Current Debate 265
Chapter 10 The New Assemblies: Government Beyond the Center 271
Scotland and Wales 272
Demands for Devolution 272
The Scottish Parliament 276
The National Assembly for Wales 279
Northern Ireland 281
Background 282
"The Troubles" 283
Attempts to Achieve a Solution 284
The Anglo-Irish Agreement 285
The Downing Street Declaration 286
The Good Friday Agreement 287
Resolving the Conflict 289
Regional Government in England 291
The Current Debate 293
Conclusion 296
Chapter 11 Local Government: Government Below the Center 298
The Changing Structure of Local Government 298
Reforms under a Conservative Government 300
Reforms under a Labour Government 301
The Changing Face of Local Government 303
Elections and Members 305
Powers and Finance 308
The Current Debate 310
Part IV Scrutiny and Legitimation 313
Chapter 12 Parliament: Commons and Lords 314
The House of Commons 317
Members 317
Functions 322
Legislation 324
Executive Actions 328
Parliamentary Questions 328
Debates 330
Select Committees 333
Early Day Motions 337
Correspondence 338
Private Party Meetings 338
Links with the Citizen 339
The House of Lords 342
Membership and Function 346
Members 346
Functions 347
Parliamentary Reform 351
The House of Commons 352
The House of Lords 354
Retain 355
Reform 355
Replace 355
Remove Altogether 356
The Power of Parliament 356
The Decision-Making, or Pluralist, View 357
The Non-Decision Making (or Elitist) View 357
The Institutional View 358
Chapter 13 The Monarchy: Above the Fray? 362
The Current Debate 366
The Exercise of Political Powers 367
The Cost and Activity of Members of the Royal Family 369
The Future of the Monarchy 374
Conclusion 378
Part V Enforcement and Feedback 380
Chapter 14 Enforcement: The Courts and the Police 381
The Judicial System 383
Criminal Cases 383
Civil Cases 386
The Judiciary 387
A Developing Constitutional Role 389
Greater Judicial Activism 389
Membership of the European Community 390
Constitutional Reform since 1997 390
The Police Force 392
Crime and the Fear of Crime 395
Corruption 397
Poor Relationship with Certain Communities 398
The Current Debate 400
Background and Recruitment of Judges 400
Miscarriages of Justice 401
A More Powerful Judiciary 403
Conclusion 405
Chapter 15 Communication and Feedback: The Mass Media 408
The Press and Broadcasting in Britain 409
The Internet 414
Political Influence 416
The Current Debate 421
Privacy 421
Political Bias 423
Creating News 425
Publishing Offensive Material 426
Conclusion 427
Part VI Conclusion 429
Chapter 16 Future Directions: The Polity under Challenge 430
The Extent of Change 431
Demands for Change 432
A Settled Polity 432
Demands for Change 433
Different Approaches to Constitutional Change 434
A Fundamental Divide 437
The Liberal Approach 438
The Traditional Approach 440
Problems for the Parties 445
External Challenges 448
Conclusion 449
Select Reading List 452
Glossary 458
Index 464