Andrew Heywood Political Ideologies Pdf Latest Edition
Eilene Balque
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The most accessible, concise and yet comprehensive introduction to the topic, this is an indispensable textbook for students studying for courses on political ideologies, political theory and introductory politics. It should be essential reading for anyone seeking to gain an understanding of political ideologies for the first time.
New to this Edition:
- A brand new chapter on Populism addressing the rise of populist movements across the world and the related decline of liberal democratic values
- More on sexualities, queer politics and trans issues in the chapter on Feminism; and a wider range of religions considered in the chapter on Religious Fundamentalism
- New Key Thinker boxes featuring a more diverse array of voices
- A fully revised concluding chapter on 'Why Political Ideologies Matter'
- Updated Political Ideologies in Action boxes reflecting on recent, major political events and their significant for political analysis
- A completely refreshed companion website comprising a testbank, PowerPoint slides, flashcard glossary, additional 'Political Ideologies in Action' cases, and interactive simulations
Accompanying online resources for this title can be found at bloomsburyonlineresources.com/political-ideologies-7e. These resources are designed to support teaching and learning when using this textbook and are available at no extra cost.
The 6th edition of this leading text on political ideologies provides and clear and accessible introduction to the political creeds and doctrines that have dominated and shaped politics around the world.
'One of the best introductions to the subject anywhere in print.' Andrew Gamble, Cambridge University
Companion website: www.palgravehighered.com/heywood/ideologies
Most undergraduates embarking on a degree in international relations will be compelled, at least in their first year of study, to become familiar with the broader aspects of political science as an academic discipline. This process will invariably include a course on political philosophy and a general politics course in which political systems, political interaction and the machinery of government are discussed. In an effort to stress to students the importance of avoiding ethnocentrism, these courses are often constructed around a comparative politics framework.
Using Political Ideas (Goodwin, Barbara, 2007, fifth edition, Wiley: Chichester) is primarily a book on political philosophy, however, I have included it in this review on the basis that it can, unlike some of the more focused introductions to political theory, be found on reading list related to comparative politics. The reason for this is because rather than presenting a linear narrative of the history of political thought, Goodwin throughout this book reviews the various ideas discussed from the perspective of how these normative ideas are used in the real world. This format is particularly useful for tutorial discussions on political theory or politics in practice. By splitting the book into three distinct sections, Goodwin is able to outline first what ideology and political theory is, before looking in detail at various ideologies, and finally key concepts emphasising shifts to a review of political systems, power and authority and more normative concepts such as freedom, rights, social justice and equality.
Goodwin cleverly interweaves real world examples and the influence of key thinkers in a discursive dialogue with the reader to ensure conceptual ideas are retained without losing any of the academic rigour, ensuring new concepts are introduced at a measured pace. The virtues of a single author are exemplified in the narrative style. Concepts outlined in one chapter are taken up later to good effect. For example, notions first outlined in the chapter on Liberalism are re-examined when discussing concepts such as Democracy, Nationalism and Feminism. This cross-over of ideas does not prevent the respective chapters standing on their own merits and as such are useful for tutorial study.
The three previous titles reviewed here might be considered traditional undergraduate textbooks, addressing concepts and methodology; however, in any comparative politics course there comes a time when focused case study analysis is required. Developments in British Politics (DinBP) (Heffernan, R, P Cowley and C Hay, 2011, Palgrave Macmillan: Basingstoke), as the title suggests, focuses solely on recent changes in the British political system. The objective of the editors is to bring together an assemblage of the most eminent academics working in the field to assess, through a series of edited chapters, the most recent political developments in British politics.
However, before this review turns into something you might find on the books dust jacket, rather than an objective appraisal of the text, let us assess its merits. Like its predecessors, this latest edition reviews, from an empirical and largely institutionalist perspective, the British political system, culture and governance, with an emphasis on the changes that have taken place since the last publication (in 2006). As such, while the last edition focused on New Labour and the Blair style of government, much of this latest edition addresses the change in the political landscape since the demise of the Labour government under the leadership of Gordon Brown; the 2010 General Election; and the subsequent emergence of a Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition. All of this is seen within the prism of the ongoing economic crisis. This substantial period of change means a number of the chapters, such as those addressing Constitutional politics by Meg Russell, Executive Governance by David Richards and political parties by Philip Cowley, are to some extent sub-divided between pre and post 2010 election or pre and post economic crisis.
Editors Heffernan, Cowley and Hay (Patrick Dunleavy, the last of the founding editors, having retired) should be commended for compiling such a well-balanced collection of articles given the difficulty of commissioning lead-times, at a time of significant political and economic flux, a point they themselves acknowledge as being particularly arduous for the contributors to this edition.
For all the focus on contemporary events, DinBP does not utilise new pedagogical techniques, and would benefit from a more interactive format with links, within the text or at the end of each section, to websites or perhaps blogs. Even so, a key feature of DinBP remains the breadth and extent of the bibliography, which encompasses standard published works, journal articles and online resources. Indeed, it could be argued that in and of itself it is a major contribution to the study of British politics.
However, the focused nature of DinBP perhaps marks it out as a supplementary text to go alongside a core textbook on British Politics, rather than a first port of call. For those without a broad knowledge of British Politics a better starting point might be Jones, et, al. (2011) [Politics UK (seventh edition) Person: London.] or Moran, M. (2011) [Politics and governance in the UK. Palgrave MacMillan: Basingstoke.] Nevertheless, for essay writing or tutorial revision DinBP is almost indispensable, especially when analysing recent events rather than looking for a broader historical narrative.
In conclusion, the ninth edition of DinBP sits well along side its erstwhile incarnations and there seems little doubt the series will continue, probably with an edition in 2016. The intervening years will have provided a rich seam for future authors to explore, encompassing among other things: a referendum on Scottish independence, a General Election, significant change to public spending particularly with regard to welfare provision and in the delivery of public services, the changing nature of politicians relations with the media and the police as well as the changing relations between the UK and the EU and its position in the wider world. Developments in British Politics 10 should be an equally interesting read as this publication.
In these reviews I have attempted to outline the key attributes of four books that might be considered among the leaders in their respective fields, examining what I consider to be their main virtues and respective weaknesses. Focus has been on how each publication addresses needs of the new undergraduate meeting political concepts and methods for the first time. However, clearly I am not a new undergraduate and each of us learns in a different way, as such it always advisable to take some time to look at the broad array of textbooks and other publications available. Textbooks are expensive but a good textbook can enliven academic study. I believe that in their own way each of the above publications do just that and are a good starting point in a degree in comparative politics or the study of political ideas.
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