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Humanities & Social SciencesJune 2025Local government and democracy in Britain
by Neil Barnett, J. Chandler
Local government in the UK is in crisis. It is now neither local in terms of the geography and populations of its principle units, nor does it truly govern in these areas. As this book reveals, over the previous 200 years local government has moved from a system in which local interests held governance over localities to one in which central government and national and multi-national agencies such as corporate businesses hold governance over local and community decision-making. These changes seriously undermine the important role that local government can play in liberal democracy in the UK. The book explains the nature of local government today and asks if there is any possibility of change.
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Humanities & Social SciencesFebruary 2009Local government today
by J. Chandler, Bill Jones
Local government today provides a comprehensive analysis of the structure, finance, management and democratic framework for local government in Britain. This new edition has been substantially rewritten to encompass the many changes to the structure and function of the system since 2000, including developments flowing from the 2007 Local Government Act. The study discusses how, during the Blair years, local governments came to be seen once again as centrally important institutions within Britain's political system. However, they are not seen as organisations that can function as separate agencies, undertaking all their duties 'in-house'. They are now required to work in partnership with the private, public and voluntary sectors to deliver local services and represent local interests. It is further argued that, for the first time in over a century, the barriers between civil servants and senior local government officers are being eroded as central government begins to incorporate leading local government officials into its decision-making processes. This established textbook also offers a comparative focus by showing how the British system differs from the structures for local governance in Western Europe and the United States. ;
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Humanities & Social SciencesFebruary 2017Conflict, Politics and Proselytism
Methodist missionaries in colonial and postcolonial Burma, 1887–1966
by Andrew Thompson, Michael D. Leigh, John M. MacKenzie
This book is a study of the ambitions, activities and achievements of Methodist missionaries in northern Burma from 1887-1966 and the expulsion of the last missionaries by Ne Win. The story is told through painstaking original research in archives which contain thousands of hitherto unpublished documents and eyewitness accounts meticulously recorded by the Methodist missionaries. This accessible study constitutes a significant contribution to a very little-known area of missionary history. Leigh pulls together the themes of conflict, politics and proselytisation in to a fascinating study of great breadth. The historical nuances of the relationship between religion and governance in Burma are traced in an accessible style. This book will appeal to those teaching or studying colonial and postcolonial history, Burmese politics, and the history of missionary work.
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Humanities & Social SciencesFebruary 2023Politics, performance and popular culture
Theatre and society in nineteenth-century Britain
by Peter Yeandle, Katherine Newey, Jeffrey Richards
This collection brings together studies of popular performance and politics across the nineteenth century, offering a fresh perspective from an archivally grounded research base. It works with the concept that politics is performative and performance is political. The book is organised into three parts in dialogue regarding specific approaches to popular performance and politics. Part I offers a series of conceptual studies using popular culture as an analytical category for social and political history. Part II explores the ways that performance represents and constructs contemporary ideologies of race, nation and empire. Part III investigates the performance techniques of specific politicians - including Robert Peel, Keir Hardie and Henry Hyndman - and analyses the performative elements of collective movements.
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Humanities & Social SciencesNovember 2023
Local government and democracy in the United Kingdom
by Neil Barnett, J. Chandler
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Humanities & Social SciencesJanuary 2012The Second Labour Government
A reappraisal
by John Shepherd
This new edited collection of essays focuses on the history of Labour's second period in office during the 1929-1931 global financial crisis. Contributions by leading historians and younger academics bring fresh perspectives to Labour's domestic problems, electoral and party matters, relations with the Soviet Union and ideological questions. An important range of new historical research provides a much-needed reappraisal of Ramsay MacDonald's second Labour government, which impressed few with its conventional policies for tackling mass unemployment. Oswald Mosley, John Maynard Keynes and Ernest Bevin's alternative economic strategies are critically studied in key essays. A more positive side of the government's policies is also adeptly revealed on consumerism and agriculture. Significant new light is adroitly shed on the 1929 general election, the first fought on a universal franchise. The intricate politics of the Parliamentary Labour Party and the disaffiliation of the Independent Labour Party are convincingly explored. The influence of the Soviet Union on Labour's thoughts and actions is analysed in valuable accounts of Labour's foreign policy and Labour's turn to socialism after 1931. An important fresh account of opposition politics breaks new ground on the reaction of Tory politicians, including Harold Macmillan, to MacDonald's government. The volume concludes with an absorbing analysis of the myths surrounding '1931' in Labour history. This timely volume makes accessible a major reassessment of existing knowledge and new scholarship that will appeal to students and teachers of British political and social history. It is essential reading for sixth form and university courses on twentieth-century history. ;
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Business, Economics & LawMay 2024Governance, democracy and ethics in crisis-decision-making
The pandemic and beyond
by Caroline Redhead, Melanie Smallman
This book is a powerful addition to a developing literature informed by arts and humanities research carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic. Investigating the impacts of crisis governance and decision-making on people and populations, the book brings together microbial organisms and humans, children and data, decision-making and infection prevention, publics and process, global vaccine distribution and citizens' juries. Through its eight chapters, the book stimulates broadly-drawn discussions about exceptional executive powers in an emergency, the role of trust, and the importance of the principles of good governance - such as selflessness, ethics, integrity, accountability and honesty in leadership. The lessons drawn out in this book will support future decision-makers in both ordinary times and extra-ordinary emergencies.
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Humanities & Social SciencesJune 2024Peace and the politics of memory
by Annika Björkdahl, Susanne Buckley-Zistel, Stefanie Kappler, Johanna Mannergren Selimovic, Timothy Williams
This important book provides new understandings of how the politics of memory impacts peace in societies transitioning from a violent past. It does so by developing a theoretical approach focusing on the intersection of sites, agency, narratives, and events in memory-making. Drawing on rich empirical studies of mnemonic formations in Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Rwanda, South Africa and Cambodia, the book speaks to a broad audience. The in-depth, cross-case analysis shows that inclusivity, pluralism, and dignity in memory politics are key to the construction of a just peace. The book contributes crucial and timely knowledge about societies that grapple with the painful legacies of the past and advances the study of memory and peace.
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Humanities & Social SciencesAugust 2010Dictionary of British Politics
Second edition
by Bill Jones, Bill Jones
From Diane Abbott to Hugo Young via Keynesianism and Thatcherism, from Major to Millbank and from New Labour to Norman Tebbitt, this book is the ultimate student reference guide to British politics. The 2nd edition has been fully updated to take account of all the changes that have taken place in British politics since 2004. With over one thousand entries, the book covers the personalities, policies and institutions that have shaped British politics, with special emphasis on developments since the beginning of the twentieth century. This is the ideal instant reference book on British politics. It provides the reader with short, authoritative explanations and definitions of key terms, institutions, offices of state, political events, processes and policies as well as biographies of well known politicians, political thinkers, movements and theorists. Any student unsure of a term, an event, the details of the life of a prominent politician, or the inner workings of an institution can turn to this book for immediate assistance. ;
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Humanities & Social SciencesDecember 2003British politics today
7th edition
by Bill Jones, Bill Jones, Dennis Kavanagh, Caroline Wilding
A short but comprehensive textbook for students of British politics which interprets changes over the last thirty years and analyses institutions within the context of British society and economics. ;
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Humanities & Social SciencesNovember 2011Structural reform of British local government
Rhetoric and reality
by Michael Chisholm
During the 1990s, the structure of local government in Scotland and Wales was completely reorganised by Acts of Parliament. Under other legislation, and in response to recommendations from the Local Government Commission, there was a partial reorganisation in shire England. This is the only study which examines these reforms in one volume. Running through this study is the contrast between the rhetoric used to justify replacing counties and districts by new unitary authorities and the realities of local government. The book reviews the reasons for the reforms, the processes and outcomes in the three countries, and the nature of the evidence which was available for the advantages and disadvantages of reorganisation. Two chapters compare the prior assessments with the actuality, and the final chapter discusses some important lessons for national governance. This is the only study written by someone who was directly involved in the structural review, as a member of the Local Government Commission, and it combines this special experience with a wealth of information from many sources. The book will be a key text for teachers and students of local government and also important for those studying public administration, government and politics at the second or third year undergraduate level. There should also be a wide readership in local government circles and among MPs and those concerned with public life. ;
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Business, Economics & LawJune 2025
Foundations of social ecological economics
The fight for revolutionary change in economic thought
by Clive L Spash
This book explores radical dissent from orthodox mainstream economics, and sets out a theoretically grounded vision for the emerging paradigm of social ecological economics. At the heart of this paradigmatic shift lies an acknowledgement of the inextricable embeddedness of economies in biophysical reality and social structure. The struggle for this transformative vision unfolds through a critical examination of mainstream environmental thought, followed by a nuanced evaluation of contributions from Marxists, socialists, critical institutionalists, feminists and Post-Keynesians grappling with the urgent environmental crisis. Synthesising insights from these diverse and heterodox schools, the book navigates the philosophical underpinnings of science, embracing a critical realist approach that challenges not only mainstream economic thought but also eclectic pluralism, relativism and strong constructionism. The question of what constitutes revolutionary science is explored in light of works by Kuhn, Schumpeter and Neurath, emphasising the pivotal role of values and ideology in works from Marx to Gramsci. Building on these radical and philosophical foundations, the book articulates a preanalytic vision of social ecological economics, dismantling entrenched notions of growth and efficiency in favour of a framework centered on social provisioning and needs embedded in ethics. In a thought-provoking conclusion, the book applies its analytical lens to the multiple crises of modernity within industrialised capital-accumulating economies. An agenda for social ecological transformation toward diverse alternative economies emerges, providing a compelling call to action in the face of contemporary challenges.
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Politics & governmentNovember 2012Understanding AS-Level Government and Politics
Second edition
by Moyra Grant
This is a clearly written, comprehensive and topical textbook on UK government and politics for AS and A Level students. It is suitable for the A Level Edexcel, OCR and AQA exam boards. The content of the book is structured according to the boards' specifications. It covers: political power, participation and democracy; the UK constitution; elections and referenda; MPs, parties and pressure groups; Parliament and government; the courts, judges and civil liberties; local government and devolution; and the European Union. All key terms and concepts are highlighted and succinctly defined. The book has an accessible style and very user-friendly format. It includes sample exam questions with answers, and fun quizzes with answers, plus features such as 'Talking Point' and 'Analyse This' to encourage class discussion and exploration of core topics. Each chapter begins with a summary of contents and ends with sample exam questions and useful websites.
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Business, Economics & LawFebruary 2025
The political economy of Turkey’s integration to Europe
Uneven development and hegemony
by Elif Uzgören
This book examines Turkey's integration with Europe within structural dynamics of globalisation from a critical political economy perspective. Critical approaches have been sidelined within European Studies. Turkish enlargement is not an exemption. The analyses are based on original data generated by 109 interviews conducted in 2010, 2017 and 2023 with five categories of actors: representatives of capital and labour, political parties, state officials, and struggles around ecology, patriarchy and migration. It argues that the pro-membership was hegemonic in the 2000s which was contested by two rival class strategies, Ha-vet and neo-mercantilism. In the 2010s, pro-membership is no longer hegemonic within rising critical tone of social forces supporting rival class strategies. Unevenness of Turkey's trajectory of integration to Europe is likely to be consolidated through market integration and management of migration through transactional approach.
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Humanities & Social SciencesMarch 2005Russian politics today
by Michael Waller, Bill Jones
This introductory text, written by an established authority on communist and post-communist politics, describes how Vladimir Putin has turned to those with backgrounds in the military and security structures to provide stability in today's Russian Federation, following the democratising reforms of Gorbachev and the ensuing instability of the Yeltsin presidency. Against the background of an increasing authoritarianism, which has restored features of the Soviet political system, it examines the attempts by social and economic groups to assert themselves against the state using embryonic democratic forms that fall far short of pluralism. The book's fourteen chapters offer an exceptionally broad coverage. It will appeal to first- and second-year students in higher education, but its deliberately accessible style will also make it attractive to sixth-form students and the general reader. ;
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Humanities & Social SciencesMay 2003European politics today
Second edition
by Patricia Hogwood, Bill Jones, Geoffrey Roberts
Provides a comprehensive introduction to the political system and processes of western Europe. Demonstrates clearly that political decisions are made in the context of specific historical developments, geographical constraints and social demands. Fully updated to take account of the recent French, British and Italian general elections as well as the momentous changes that have taken place in global politics as a result of the September 11 terrorist attacks, and the preparations for EU enlargement. Chapters on the European Union and democracy in western Europe have been substantially revised to take account of globalisation and recent political corruption issues. ;
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Humanities & Social SciencesJuly 2010Voting for a Scottish government
The Scottish Parliament election of 2007
by Robert Johns, David Denver, James Mitchell, Charles Pattie
In 2007 Labour lost an election in Scotland for the first time in half a century and the SNP went on to form the Scottish Government. This book explains why. Based on a unique three-wave survey of the Scottish electorate, it can truly be described as the first full-scale Scottish national election study. As such, it is notable not only for its innovative methodology but also because theories and concepts are taken from the recent electoral studies literature and applied to Scotland. Other questions investigated include the impact of campaigning and of the party leaders (at both Scottish and British level) on the election outcome. In addition, for the first time in the UK context, a special study is made of the causes and consequences of rejected ballots - the large number of which at this election caused a media outcry. This book will be required reading for anyone interested in, involved in, teaching or studying Scottish politics. It will also be an important text for those concerned with UK politics in general and attract particular interest among students of elections, both in the UK and internationally. ;
