Product Description
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. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Didn't enjoy it, but useful
I didn't like it. It is books like this that make me wish my instructors always used source materials, not interpretations. I fell he comes short in some areas, but there is the undeniable benefit of ease of use.

Brilliant introduction
Brilliant introduction to the field of political philosophy, first and foremost with a view to the English-speaking liberal tradition. Easy to read, yet this thematically structured book covers the most important topics in depth.

As a Habermasian and Scandinavian social democrat, what Swift presents as leftist views appears to me to be the views of the centre-right. Still, the book's exquisite conceptual rigour (which one would expect from an analytical philosopher) actually helped me sharpening my understanding on liberty/freedom within the Scandinavian model of distribution.

Overall, this book is highly recommended. It presents itself as a beginners guide, but is has a lot to offer to the advanced reader as well. For example, Amartya Sen's name is not mentioned in the chapter on social justice. Yet over a few paragraphs, elegantly interwoven in the general text, Swift explains the basic structure of Sen's so-called "capability approach".

Excellent
I've been using Adam Swift's Political Philosophy: An Beginner's Guide for Students and Politicians(UK) in my Political Philosophy course this semester, and, having now had several students thank me for assigning it, I should probably recommend it more widely. The book is written at an angle to my course. The course goes through the main ideas of various important contemporary theorists of justice: Rawls, Sen, Nozick, Milton Friedman (ok, he's the odd-one-out, but my view is that nobody should leave college without reading chapters 1,2 and 6 of Capitalism and Freedom, and I abuse my position as a professor to do my bit), Kymlicka, Okin, Fraser, and G.A. Cohen. The book is more conceptual; it consists of chapters on Social Justice, Equality, Freedom, Community and (in the new, second, edition) Democracy, which go through various distinctions and problems in thinking about those concepts, and it only refers to the work of particular philosophers insofar as it is relevant to the problem at hand. The book also includes a lovely discussion of the division of labour between political philosophers on the one hand and political activists and politicians on the other, and offers a semi-sympathetic diagnosis of the reasons that politicians often seem to be such uncareful thinkers about matters of value. It really is a superb piece of writing, accessible to anyone with an interest in these matters, but somehow achieving the accessibility without compromising the complexity of the issues in question.

I usually feel obliged to talk in class a good deal about the books I assign, but I haven't been talking about Swift's book much because it getes everything right (so nothing to argue with) and is written with such precision and transparency that there's nothing to clarify or explain. I do frequently use arguments or ideas from the book when explaining particular positions in the authors we are studying. I had expected some irritation from students for making them read a book that we don't discuss, but, as I say, several of them have (I suppose rather insultingly) thanked me because they find that it is an easy read that illuminates the other readings (more than my lectures do?). Its a great book for anyone who wants to understand better what political philosophers do, especially I would say if you have a background in the social sciences, and the perfect holiday gift for the politically engaged but intellectually serious young person in your life.

Excellent Introduction
This very well written book is a nice introduction to contemporary political philosophy.Swift's approach is a bit unusual.Rather than a traditional historical approach, Swift has selected 5 of the most important themes in modern political philosophy; social justice, liberty, equality, community, and democracy.Swift is mainly concerned with providing readers with the essential intellectual tools to approach these themes.He provides a series of concise descriptions and discussions of contemporary thinking about the themes.Swift's primary goal is not provide a comprehensive analysis of contemporary thinking but rather to present clear definitions of the key questions and fair depictions of the most important approaches to those questions. Swift tries to present thebest aspects of different approaches.He is not, however, uncritical.In the spirit of clarity and presenting good examples of careful analysis, he articulates strong criticism of some widespread but erroneous views.Von Hayek, Berlin's influential Two Concepts of Liberty, and Communitarian criticisms of Liberalism get very effective critiques.Each section has a good final section recommending further reading.

For anyone seeking to prepare themselves to cast a well-informed vote in elections.
Now in a revised and expanded second edition featuring a new chapter specifically about democracy, Political Philosophy: A Beginners' Guide for Students and Politicians by Adam Swift (Fellow in Politics and Sociology, Balliol College) is a highly accessible text for students, lay readers, and novice political philosophers concerning basic political principles that are used to govern society. Chapters describe and discuss philosophical constructs such as social justice, liberty, equality, community, and democracy, and especially dissect common misperceptions and assumptions concerning the denotative meaning of certain principles and labels. Laden with examples designed to prompt the reader to think long and hard concerning what political concepts such as "social justice" truly mean, Political Philosophy is enthusiastically recommended not just for students, but for anyone seeking to prepare themselves to cast a well-informed vote in elections. ... Read more

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Product Description
Increasingly, political scientists are describing their empirical research or the reasoning behind their choices in empirical research using the terms "experiment" or "experimental." One of the primary reasons for doing so is the advantage of experiments in establishing causal inferences. In this book, Rebecca B. Morton and Kenneth C. Williams discuss in detail how experiments and experimental reasoning with observational data can help researchers determine causality. They explore how control and random assignment mechanisms work, examining both the Rubin causal model and the formal theory approaches to causality. They also cover general topics in experimentation such as the history of experimentation in political science; internal and external validity of experimental research; types of experiments - field, laboratory, virtual, and survey - and how to choose, recruit, and motivate subjects in experiments. They investigate ethical issues in experimentation, the process of securing approval from institutional review boards for human subject research, and the use of deception in experimentation. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a comparative, conceptual introduction to political science, organized topically rather than country-by-country, providing in-depth examples at the end of most chapters to provide greater richness about various countries than a topical treatment would normally provide. The theme of "power and choice," based on a definition of politics as the making of collective choices for a group or state through the use of power, runs through much of the text. ... Read more

Product Description
The first manuscript of this book went into the fire five minutes before the arrival of the secret police in Communist Poland. The second copy, reassembled painfully by scientists working under impossible conditions of repression, was sent via a courier to the Vatican. Its receipt was never acknowledged, no word was ever heard from the courier - the manuscript and all the valuable data was lost. The third copy was produced after one of the scientists working on the project escaped to America in the 1980s. Zbigniew Brzezinski suppressed it.
Political Ponerology was forged in the crucible of the very subject it studies. Scientists living under an oppressive regime decide to study it clinically, to study the founders and supporters of an evil regime to determine what common factor is at play in the rise and propagation of man's inhumanity to man.
Shocking in its clinically spare descriptions of the true nature of evil, poignant in the more literary passages where the author reveals the suffering experienced by the researchers who were contaminated or destroyed by the disease they were studying, this is a book that should be required reading by every citizen of every country that claims a moral or humanistic foundation. For it is a certainty that morality and humanism cannot long withstand the predations of Evil. Knowledge of its nature, how it creates its networks and spreads, how insidious is its guileful approach, is the only antidote. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (36)

Rather Techincal
Somewhat typical of academics,in general, the author has couched his tome in rather technical language.His insights are, however, profound and explain much about why societies cycle like they do.This book is well worth the read, if your vocabulary is advanced enough to grasp his language.

The basic premise of this book is that 6% of the population are amoral, and born that way.They understand power, but the humane virtues, such as mercy, kindness, love, are foreign to their understanding.This reviewer acknowledges this type of person, but feels that environmental concerns play a larger role than genetics.The author believes that if most of us understand that these people exist, and work to minimize their machinations, that we wouldn't have these boom/bust cycles in our societies.Overall, a thought-provoking and useful read.Worthy of more circulation that it gets.

Interesting topic but poorly translated
This is a very interesting subject and a subject that people should be madeaware of. It's about the sociopathic, narcissistic politicians that we have.
The problem with the book was how it was written. It is a translation and a very poor one at that. If you have a PhD in psychology then you may understand the whole book but I found it very confusing. Some of the words I couldn't even find in my dictionary. It is a very dry academic thesis that was poorly translated. We need abook about the subject but written in layman's terms which would be so much more useful and would reach a greater audience which is what this subject needs.

Political Correctness Run Amok
The cover should have been the first red flag.In a book discussing Ponerology, why are all of the "evil" faces on the cover Republicans or the dreaded "dead white Europeans"? Bill Clinton was a stunning sociopath. Obama's Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel makes Machiavelli look like a choirboy. Where is Mao? Where is the other liberal icon Fidel Castro? What about Osama Bin Laden?

While the book makes a valid point, making one side angels and the other devils, greatly diminishes the power of the argument.

The cover art was likely not selected by Lobaczewski but by his New York editors and publishers. I'm sure the cover has a certain appeal to folks on the Upper East Side, but to the rest of us, it looks like political correctness run amok. It is a shame they decided to minimize the power of such an important book by trying to score a few cheap shots political points.

do we need to hide our copy
Is it in good order that some of us hide a copy, so after the next Great Pirate power grab...for Jesus and Allah
and Yahweh and scientific advancement, of course...the kids can grow up and have a chance to perhaps see a scientific "work up" of Evil?


Also in relation to this topic, we are all being monitored now for our "subversive views"!

(by an apparent litany of almost two dozen groups)
Who can't stop terrorists with Condi Rice on board,
when the MOSSAD gives them the warning we are going to be attacked in specific details???????



Possibly we allow these attacks, ala' Pearl Harbour as an excuse to go to War?
It has the side benefit of letting these "first do some harm" Doctors peddle drugs to grief stricken
soldiers--at your expense, and get rid of us extras, who are in no wise as valuable as the Pederast/sociopathic
Inbreds running our countries?

Do they drink blood is ALL i want to know?
Do you guys, like kissinger and bresenski , do you eat kids and drink blood?

We wonder?

and why are they always smirking and goofing off ?


Dr. kissinger if there is a hell, your going...what's so funny about that?



AND these same folks poo poo the funding for "the study of the sociopathic and psychopathic mind". Why is that?
Is it as one vlogger surmised, so many Psychiatrists and Politicians would meet the criteria for Sociopath?

A weak effort at the "study of evil"
I guess any psychologically sane person would agree that many psychopaths are able to reach very high positions in the current capitalistic society. It is the power over people that really seems to attract the psychologically immature beings. They want to be controlling others and feel respected - even when there's absolutely no reason for it! And as long as their own pockets stay full, everything will be OK for them. So, politically, it explains why there's absolutely no will to change anything for better - for good.

The term "ponerology" here means the "study of evil." But I would say this book was a very weak effort at it. Overly long and utterly boring. Maybe it was the real reason behind the book's claimed "suppression!"

(Published 1st in 1984. The reviewed edition: 2009, 9781897244470) ... Read more

Product Description
This Introduction introduces readers to the concepts of political philosophy: authority, democracy, freedom and its limits, justice, feminism, multiculturalism, and nationality. Accessibly written and assuming no previous knowledge of the subject, it encourages the reader to think clearly and critically about the leading political questions of our time. THe book first investigates how politcial philosophy tackles basic ethical questions such as 'how should we live together in society?' It furthermore looks at political authority, discusses the reasons society needs politics in the first place, explores the limitations of politics, and asks if there are areas of life that shouldn't be governed by politics. Moreover, the book explores the connections between political authority and justice, a constant theme in political philosophy, and the ways in which social justice can be used to regulate rather than destroy a market economy. In his travels through this realm, Miller covers why nations are the natural units of government and wonders if the rise of multiculturalism and transnational co-operation will change all this, and asks in the end if we will ever see the formation of a world government. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

short on contemporary and alternative/critical theorists
I've just been skimming the book I picked up from the library, but I'm quite disappointed not to find in the indexany of the following names who represent thinkers from the critical theory, Continental, communitarian traditions: Adorno, Habermas, MacIntyre, Strauss, etc. True, Miller has very little room to work with, but with an introductory book like this I like to get a lay of the land and a sense of how key (contemporary) thinkers think. I suspect Miller does a good job of laying out the main issues in the main, liberal tradition of Western thought, including what relatively recent thinkers (he seems to cover Isaiah Berlin well) have to say on these topics.

I would recommend saving up for John Christman's _Social and Political Philosophy: A Contemporary Introduction_ rather than getting this book.

A good summary of western political philosophy
I have to disagree with the other reviewer. Overall this is a pretty objective overview of mainstream political philosophy covering Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, social contract theory, justice, liberty, freedom, feminism, Marx and so on. Miller's method of asking childish, almost infantile, questions about the possibility of modern democracy, global justice, and freedom opens up some very interesting avenues of inquiry (childish questions are the mark of a true philosopher). Additionally Miller's emphasis on modern-day human rights, multiculturalism and social justice work to give this introduction a needed humanist perspective against the often canonistic regurgitation of detached text-book philosophy which one often finds in broad introductory texts of this kind. I recommend this introduction for those just starting philosophy or politics and want an interesting overview of Western political philosophy. If you truly want to see a politically bias Short Introduction (as a point of comparison) try reading Kenneth Minoque's Politics: A Very Short Introduction. He pretty much adheres to a dogmatically neoliberal position throughout the books 112 pages.


"But do nations really exist? Or are they not just imagined but entirely imaginary? Is there anything that genuinely differentiates the people who live on one side of the national boundary from their counterparts on the other side? Dean Inge once said that 'a nation is a society united by a delusion about its ancestry and by a common hatred of its neighbours'. Like most good quotations, this one contains more than a grain of truth."

- Miller on Nation states p.114

...
My review of this book will be very short: It should be titled "David Miller's Political Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction". I bought the book expecting to be introduced to political philosophy, but I find that I have learned more about Miller's opinions (however mainstream) than political philosophy itself. It's like trying to learn from a salesman rather than a teacher--you will learn something, but it's still annoying. The caliber of the Very Short Introduction series is generally higher. ... Read more

Product Description

Students often complain that textbooks are boring, but theyve never had one like this. With enlightening, yet entertaining, references ranging from 1984 to The Dark Knight, students take away more from discussions of institutions, ideology, or economics because core concepts are introduced using popular culture. Revisions to the second edition include recent movies and books and new stand-alone chapters on legislatures and executives. Students benefit from chapter summaries, bolded key terms, and discussion questions, as well as a student companion website. Instructors resources are available free to adopters.

Customer Reviews (1)

Great!
The book was in awesome condition! The standard shipping took a little while but all together very happy about the book. Thanks! ... Read more

Product Description
Essential Mathematics for Political and Social Research addresses an educational deficiency in the social and behavioral sciences. This is the first book of its kind to specifically address the comprehensive introduction to the mathematical principles needed by modern social scientists.The material introduces basic mathematical principles necessary to do analytical work in the social sciences, starting from first principles, but without unnecessary complexity. The core purpose is to present fundamental notions in standard notation and standard language with a clear, unified framework throughout. Through examples and exercises, this book is intended to not only motivate specific mathematical principles and practices, but also introduce the way that social science researchers use these tools. The intended emphasis is on conceptual understanding of key principles and their subsequent application. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Almost perfect, but not sufficient
Jeff Gill's book is intended as a first entry point into the formalities of current political science. In other words, if you are contemplating becoming a formal modeler (essentially, game-theory-based) or a statistics-based tester of political-scientific hypotheses, AND you fill comfortable with algebra 1 and 2 and some basic notions of calculus, then this should be your atarting point.

Given the goal it sets for itself, this is a very good product -- though not yet a perfect one.

ON THE POSITIVE SIDE:

1) Gill writes in an engaging and elegant manner (despite the surprisingly many typos throughout the text, which one hopes concern the prose only). This is a considerable advantage, because many of his competitors use a dry and boring style;

2) He uses many examples, most of which are indeed from politics, as the author and editor are proud to advertise;

3) He goes quite some way into explaining the intuition (i.e. the fundamental logic) behind applying certain mathematical tools to specific political "word problems";

4) Taken together, the book does allow the reader to gain the necessary background to start reading the American Political Science Review meaningfully (rather than reading the abstract and main text and trying to forget about the technicalities);

5) The exercises are generally as well-chosen as the examples.


ON THE NEGATIVE SIDE:

1') Elegance of style comes at the price of relatively poorly structured sections within each chapter (i.e. althought the sequence of the chapters themselves is very pedagogical, the sequence of sections within each chapter is sometimes less so, with repetitions, assumptions that the reader already knows X when X is explained 30 pages down the text, etc).

3') Focusing on the link between political word problems and available math tools, the author sometimes cuts short on the logic of the math tools themselves. For example, permutations, combinations, counting rules, etc, are realtively poorly explained. Some other well-known textbooks on maths for social scientists (e.g. Budnick, or Chiang) spend more time really explaining the math.

4') Although great care is taken to make the successful reader of this book a good political scientist, less attention is given to how to make a reader successful! ((( I think Gill automatically assumes that all buyers of his book will be people working with a highly specialised instructors, rather than people working on their own. )))

5') Although there is no doubt that the exercises are spot on, there is no appendix with the solution (or at least the answer). The Preface talks of some instructor's manual, but I haven't been able to find it anywhere...

ON BALANCE, A NECESSARY BUT NOT SUFFICIENT PRODUCT. This is very good, but it has to be worked through either with an instructor or with some other applied maths textbook.

Fantastic Starter Edition for Mathematics
This book is the best book of many that I have found for someone who is attempting to decipher the mathematical side of the social sciences.I say this particularly because the author provides useful mathematical tips and insights to variables and terms to those who are not familiar with all of their differing uses in the seperate branches of the social sciences.

Another reviewer said it best when he/she said that this book was written to help readers understand mathematics as a language.This author truly treats the understanding of mathematics as a language teacher does.The author does not fall into the usual trap that so many authors before him have done, which is to assume prior mathematical knowledge beyond algebra. This book makes mathematics far more accessible than its counterparts before it for someone seeking either a refresher course or perhaps to merely buttress their mathematical understanding.

Great Book with Great Price at Amazon
This is a great book with easy-to-understand concepts and examples. I got the book from Amazon on free-supersaving shipping and it came in less than two weeks and the book is in brand-new condition for approximately half the price listed. I think it was a great offer.

Surprisingly better than other options
Jeff's use of political science examples with the range of mathematical constructs makes this a particularly good book for beginning graduate political science students and undergraduate political science students who want to prepare themselves for graduate study.If you are new to political science and looking for a math refresher, at least scan through the book in the library before you adopt something else.My only regret is that the answers to sample problems are only available through a teaching edition. ... Read more

Product Description
Many students major in the Humanities or Social Sciences because they love their chosen academic fields, however few schools provide solid advice about how students can apply their studies to a career.This unique and informative guide directs History and Political Science majors to career paths that will make the most of their educational backgrounds. It includes chapters on further academic study, fellowship opportunities, and understanding career options, as well as practical and detailed job search tips and strategies.

What to Do with Your History or Political Science Degree includes:
·Practical advice on identifying career goals
·Profiles of popular career paths
·Interview and networking tips
·Special Q&A section with former majors who are now successfully pursuing careers they love
·Appendices that provide listings of relevant internship and fellowship opportunities ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Very Helpful!!
I will more than likely be double majoring in history and government and was very worried about my potential career prospects after college. I thought the only thing that either major would allow me to do would be a teacher, lawyer, or journalist. (While the book does offer these three careers) This book offers great insight and breaks it down by job category about what either major can do and offers great resources with websites to research jobs, grad schools, law schools and internships. At the end of the book, there are Q&As with former political science and history majors about what careers they hold, how they got to where they are today, and advice to their fellow majors. The book is very useful and I would recommend to anyone not sure about what career path they are looking to pursue with a major in history or political science. ... Read more

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Product Description

As an introduction to political theory and science, this collection of writings by the great philosophers will be of close interest to general readers. It also serves as a basic textbook for students of government and political theory. Such fundamental concepts as Democracy, the Rule of Law, Justice, Natural Rights, Sovereignty, Citizenship, Power, the State, Revolution, Liberty, Reason, Materialism, Toleration, and the Separation of Church and State are traced from their origins, through their development and changing patterns, to show how they guide political thinking and institutions today.

Customer Reviews (2)

Good book... but
I have volume 2 -and per a major move (new home, new library, more books, etc)..

I went thru all my books and got rid of some,bought more, traded some, got hardbacks of paperbacks I wanted to replace, etc.


I was relizing I was missing vol 1 after all this time, and decided to get vol 1..but in my effort to find vol 1... I thought why not hardcover.


Yes you can find v.1 or v.2 in hardcover... but can I find both in one hardcover.

Example, 2 books of asimov on 'guide to the bible' is avialable as 2volumes in one book...

Ive not yet been able to find if these 2 are available that way.

if any advice, let me know..

A wonderful collection
This is the first volume in a two-volume set (Great Political Theories V.2: A Comprehensive Selection of the Crucial Ideas in Political Philosophy from the French Revolution to Modern Times) that includes excerpts from the most important political thinkers in world history.Each important thinker such as Plato or Machiavelli is included and each is adorned with a short biography and a piece of their most important contribution.This volume begins in the 5th century B.C or thereabouts and comes up to the mid 18th century.A very good selection of thinkers, all the most important ones are here.This is a great introduction to the history of Political theory and political philosophy, a great achievement and also a wonderful place for anyone interested in the history of philosophy or western thought to begin.
Seth J. Frantzman ... Read more

Product Description
"This book provides an engaging and intellectually challenging introduction to political ideologies, while at the same time giving an accessible route into the subject for those new to politics. Supported by an outstanding companion website, it has strong claims to be the best undergraduate textbook on ideologies on the market."

Dr. Mike Gough, University of East Anglia

Introduction to Political Theory is a text for the 21st century.It shows students why an understanding of theory is crucial to an understanding of issues and events in a rapidly shifting global political landscape. Bringing together classic and contemporary political concepts and ideologies into one book, this new text introduces the major approaches to political issues that have shaped the modern world, and the ideas that form the currency of political debate.

Introduction to Political Theory relates political ideas to political realities through effective use of examples and cases studies making theory lively, contentious and relevant.

This thoroughly revised and updated second edition contains new chapters on global justice and political violence, as well as an expanded treatment of globalisation and the state.

A wide range of pedagogical features helps to clarify, extend and apply students' understanding of the fundamental ideologies and concepts. This is comprised of:

·CCase studies demonstrate how political ideas, concepts and issues manifest in the real world
Â`Focus' boxes encourage students to appreciate alternative viewpoints
ÂA range of thought provoking photographs challenge students to examine concepts from a different angle
ÂSuggestions for further reading and weblinks are also provided to help students to further their understanding

Introduction to Political Theoryis accompanied by an innovative website with multiple choice questions, biographies of key figures in political theory, further case studies and an innovative `how to read' feature which helps students get to grips with difficult primary texts. ... Read more

Product Description
What if we told you that a textbook could be funny and irreverent utilizing popular books, movies, music, and television shows to introduce political science concepts? This novel approach to explaining our need for government and the intrigue of politics is a reality. Van Belle and Mash do not compromise on the Political Science content, nor do they stint on real-world political examples throughout the book. The basics and the depth are all here. The added innovation? to give you context through the popular culture you re already plugged into.Simply put, this is not a typical or boring textbook. From references to 1984 and Lord of the Flies to mentions of The Matrix and A Clockwork Orange you ll be surprised by how the core concepts of political science institutions, ideology, economics, elections, culture, national politics, and international relations are interwoven with a highly entertaining discussion of popular culture. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Informative and hilarious
I read this book to prepare for a state assessment in political science.Unlike other PS101 textbooks, this one makes a ton of sense and is easy to read.The analogies, pictures, commentary and real-world example really provide a way for the various concepts and terminology to become understandable.I would recommend this book to any professor teaching a bunch of freshmen students with zero understanding in the realm of politics.It would also be good for high school teachers...

Seems Interesting
Although I have only had this book for about two weeks, it seems interesting.I'll be curious to see how it integrates popular culture with politics.

A review by a professor
I adopted this book for my intro to political science course after several trials of other introductory texts.The problem with "textbooks" in general is they tend to be rather dry, hard to follow and fail to capture the spirit of the material (a.k.a. boring).Introductory texts are even more of a challenge as they lump a large body of knowledge into a condensed version.Ultimately, as a professor, even I have a hard time digesting the material in most textbooks.The Van Belle and Mash text is the exception to the rule.The book is entertaining and easy to read.While the authors do stretch at times to make a joke (sometimes at the cost of actually learning something), they provide a refreshing and very accessible look at political science.It is a text students will actually read (one can hope) and enjoy.

Part homage, part wannabe "America (the Book)"
Review from a student's perspective:
This book was used as our course textbook for my political science 101 class. It has some ridiculous entertainment value at first that makes it more accessible versus your "just the facts" textbook, and is very up to date in terms of current world events. When it comes down to wanting to study for a test, though, there's some passages that are overextended or just plain unrelated. This isn't to say learning does not occur--at the heart it's your average textbook. However, in an attempt to keep the zany humor going, some inaccuracies occur, much to the displeasure of my professor (he's decided not to use the text again).

Review from an average reader's perspective:
This book is, as earlier stated, ridiculously funny. You can read, be entertained, and actually learn a thing or two about politics and the functions of government. So what if much of it seems like a rehash of your high school American government class; admit it, you don't remember half of it, anyway. The footnotes in this book are hilarious--they are more like comedic asides than footnotes.

However, I am very much concerned by the typos in the tables used in this book. In the first chapter, the name "Darth Vader" is correctly spelled, while in two tables in Chapter Ten it's misprinted as "Darth Vadar." Also, the state of Washington seems to have conquered Utah in a map of the US in another chapter, with "WA" appearing on both. (It's mostly the misspelling of Darth Vader that has me worried--for a book that prides itself on pop culture references, what else could the authors be getting wrong--though this is probably a problem at the copy-editing level.)

To sum up: the "novelty" began to wear off the further I got in to the book--especially when the authors gave their shameless plug for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Presents America (The Book) Teacher's Edition: A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction in Chapter 8. An average person could find this enjoyable, but I'm not sure why the average person might buy it, as it is a college textbook.

One last warning: printed in a non-serif font (similar to Arial). Eyestrain and/or drowsiness can occur more quickly this way. Serif fonts (like Times New Roman) are easier to read in printed form--hence why most books you pick up are in serif fonts. (This truly is a reason why I'm disappointed with this book--it might not matter to you, but it matters to me, as a book must be readable.) ... Read more

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Updated in a new 8th edition, Empirical Political Analysis introduces students to the full range of qualitative and quantitative methods used in political science research.

Customer Reviews (6)

A solid methods book
I bought this book for a research methods class that I am taking for my Masters in Public Administration program.When the class started, the professor had us switch to another textbook, but I read this book because I had already paid for it and I knew that it would help me with the class. The material was easy to work with and was presented in a logical sequence.

A Tough Subject Clearly Explained
I'm a Junior at a large university, and this book is required for my Research Methods class.I've put off taking this class until now, since I'm not very math-oriented.This book explains research ideas in a very simple way, and each chapter has lots of examples from politics.My professor sometimes also has us read the sample articles that the chapters list.This is extra work, but seeing how real researchers use a method helps me understand it.By the way, there is math in the statistics section, but it's not really that bad.If you're not a natural whiz at research, this is the book for you.

Don't waste your gray matter!
This book talks down to the student. It is elementary to the extent of being obvious. The field has moved on and so should we. Get the King, Keohane and Verba book instead, which is written lucidly and actually isnpires thought.

A Solid and Accessible Textbook on Methodology
The book is clearly written, and I am using it this semester for an undergraduate class I teach. I am not a big fan of textbooks in general, as I rarely use them myself, and when I do, it is mostly for concrete and breif reference purposes. This book is very accessible. I especially liked the chapter on focus groups. The chapter on content analysis is also good, because it conveys very clearly the problems that one faces with this particular method, but at the same time the chapter is not mathematically deep. I find that most of my studnets find this book easy to use. As a book on statistics, it is not very powerful, and the presentation of even the basic methods could use better organization. But overall, this is still a useful text.

Not worth $85.00
I'm using this book for my undergrad political science class on research design and statistical analysis.I have previously used Johnson and Joslyn's book, which is much less expensive than Manheim and Rich.If Ihad known that the bookstore would charge the students so much, I would nothave assigned it.The authors do a good job with research design, but thestatistical section is poorly organized, and has at least one formulaincorrect.If you are looking for a good book on empirical politicalanalysis, you could probably find a better research design book and abetter statistics book for about the same price. ... Read more

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Greenberg's arguments are broad but well supported, and his book is sure to excite controversy within the scientific community. Lay readers, however, will also find it of much interest. --Gregory McNamee ... Read more

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tons of converstions but...
Daniel Greenberg, a Washington-based journalist, analogizes the American scientific activities after WWII as a metropolis dominated with academic cultures in its core. In contrast to the general conception that the budget for the basic research has been cut since the "golden age," or 1960s, the financial support to science enterprises actually has increased. He argues that the problems in the American science have not come from a deficiency of money but from a self-ghettoized, apolitical scientific enterprise of science itself which only competes for the public money but is ignorant of social consequences of what it does. He suggested more political involvement and enlightenment in the scientific communities as a prescription.

Recent study shows that there is a room for even the "self-ghettoized," "apolitical" enterprises of science, as called by the author, to be admitted to be raised as "the fifth branch" (Jasanoff, 1990) which bridges science and policy through the scientific advisory board. Although tons of conversational examples were presented in the book, many questions remain still ambiguous: for example, how political ignorance was gauged; to what other enterprises it can be compared (if possible); how the political ignorance negatively affected public welfare.

I admire the author's effort to incorporate all the transient newspaper articles and volatile dialogues among the congressmen and the heads of various scientific institutions into a 500 paged book. To read Introduction and Epilogue seems enough for this book, unless you have a plenty of time or historian-like interests in the episodes occurred in the Washington regarding the research policy and budgeting.

Best of Four Books That Blend Together Nicely
This is the best of thefour books I chose to look into this topic, easily the most comprehensive and balanced, with a strong ethical component; it shows how the competition for money, rather than scientific progress, is diverting scarce resources and frustrating needed advances.

It does not, however, provide a complete picture.Three other books are helpful:

The Republican War on Science by Chris Mooney is the book that is the most compelling on the perversions of the extremist Republicans (I am a moderate Republican).Read this first or last, depending on your disposition.

Frontiers of Illusion: Science, Technology, and the Politics of Progress by Daniel Sarewitz, is an excellent counterpart to Greenberg as well as the other two booksIf science is corrupt on the one hand, it is also over-sold on the other, a point that Sarewitz addresses very methodically.

Finally, Investing in Innovation: Creating a Research and Innovation Policy That Works, edited by Lewis Bramscomb and James Keller, brings together a range of views crossing the environment within which scientific research takes place, evaluationg specific programs and policy tools, and making recommendations (all of which have been ignored by the current Bush Administration).

I take three bottom lines from these four books together:

1)We are spending too much on military science & research.

2)Neither Congress nor the Executive have a serious strategy for prioritizing problems, finding private sector partners, and providing seed money for innovative solutions.

3)Both Congress and the Executive, as well as the public and the media, are incredibly ignorant about what science can and cannot do, and where all the money is going to generally poor effect.

4)This is all so important that Science, like Intelligence, needs its own Supreme Court.I am persuaded we need a new form of hybid public agency that is fully independent of the Executive, receiving a percentage of the total disposable budget (say 3%) and hence not subject to Congression pressures.

If you buy only one book, buy this one--but you will be missing important alternative thoughts from the other three.

A Polemical Triumph
With a career's worth of insider observations, Greenberg reports on the modern reality of academic research and its bloated addiction to federal funding.As historically interesting as it is practically and morally discouraging, it should be required reading for all prospective graduate researchers. References are dissertation quality.

Keeping a rein on science
Washington investigative journalist Daniel Greenberg fills the 500 pages of this book with stories of how science puts material concerns ahead of ethical concerns, resulting in that which is not always in the best interests of society. Indeed, ethical erosion in science, with a corresponding abdication of social responsibility, seems to be inversely related to the chase for money. For many scientists, the pursuit of money has become the primary motivation, with concern for the moral and social good largely ignored.

Science can be funded from governments, from industry, and from universities. Of course those who supply the cash flow can determine the type of research and in many respects the outcome of the research. One just has to think of the enormous budget given over to AIDS research, while other less glamorous (and less politically correct) diseases go begging for funding.

The life sciences (medicine, biotechnology, pharmacology, etc.) is a good case in point. For example, pharmaceutical firms often misrepresent and inflate scientific data for regulatory approval, and to influence physicians to prescribe their products to an unwitting public. One way to achieve this end is to duplicate publication of experimental data to give the impression of widespread scientific backing.

Greenberg offers other examples of bad ethics in human experimentation, and notes how the biomedical research community was aware of gross inadequacies in monitoring scientific experimentation and quite content to let the situation remain that way. The examples demonstrate that what is done in the name of science often seems to be above regulation, accountability and ethical review.

And it is not just science that gets tainted with money and corporate influence, but knowledge as a whole. Thus corporate greed and the limitless pursuit of profit seem to negatively effect everyone within reach, and it is not scientific objectivity alone that suffers, but learning as well. No wonder why certain bioethical debates seems to be so one-sided. The recent stem cell debate is just one example where Big Biotech is buying its way into science and the media, regardless of the outcome for the rest of society.

And Greenberg notes how the popular press acts mainly as a puppet of science, especially biomedical research. It routinely pumps out what is told to, without asking the hard questions it does of politicians and others. This is indeed the case with reports of scientific-medical progress. Greenberg calls this "may" journalism. Stem cells may do this. Cloning may do that. Gene therapy may deliver the goods. We are wowed by reports of potential medical breakthroughs, but they are just that: potential. However, the way the media presents them, it seems like a cure for Parkinson's disease will arrive next week. Thus we find a collusion between certain scientists, various industries (eg., the Biotech industry), and a gullible and/or subservient media.

And of course this collusion acts as a giant feed-back loop. Journalists need good news stories, and scientists and the corporations need people to think they are just on the verge of a major medical breakthrough, if only a bit more funding were forthcoming. The one feeds of the other, and a disease-weary public, believing that immortality is just around the corner, will go along with it. And governments also get into the act, claiming that if we over-regulate things like cloning or stem cell research, all the research will move interstate or overseas, leaving them behind. So there is a grand mingling of state, corporate and public interests taking place, making it even harder for science to claim any sort of neutrality and objectivity.

If religious leaders and politicians today are subject to intense scrutiny and ethical appraisal (and rightly so), then perhaps it is time to extend the same treatment to scientists. And one place to begin is by reading this important and timely book.

Mix three volatile reactive elements and you get a mess
There are a couple of things about this work by Greenberg that struck me as significant, and added to the fact that the book is very well written, it makes for a very compelling read. Even after many years of scientific journalism and working within the industry Greenberg says that the scientific enterprise makes him "feel like a stranger in a strange land." This is no idle boast by someone trying to tout his credentials as an objective observer and skeptic. This is in fact precisely the perspective that Greenberg uses throughout; this arms-length approach allows him to come up with some rather perceptive insights and useful recommendations. The second point of interest, and something for which the scientific community should be commended, is that generally this book has been quite favorably received. Many times when an "outsider" reports on some subject, the first, and oftentimes the only point, aggrieved professionals focus on is that he's not an "expert", or he's a "non-specialist". That doesn't seem to be the case with most of the commentary on this book from the scientific community. And make no mistake, there's enough damning evidence here about the volatile mix of SCIENCE, MONEY, AND POLITICS and the resulting mess of "Political Triumph and Ethical Erosion", that it would be normal to expect self-defensive counter criticisms.

Greenberg traces the changing role of science and its relationship with politics, roughly since the period following WWII. Long gone is the era of the prominent presidential science advisors. Today it is money that dominates the scientific agenda. The chapter on the National Science Foundation (NSF) and its claim a few years ago that the country faced a shortage of tens of thousands of scientists is illustrative. Greenberg shows this lobbying effort for increased funds as a knowingly false issue pushed by a merger of institutional and academic interests. Greenberg quotes a US Office of Management & Budget Report which had this to say about scientists: "They are the quintessential special interest group..."

He has much to say on the inflated claims of many projects. Although he specifically mentions the aborted Superconducting Super Collider (SSC), it is clear he views more recent projects such as the Human Genome Project, and cloning, in the same light. Greenberg doesn't allow the book to end as a mere polemic though. He makes an interesting recommendation for the conversion of the NSF into a National Science, Engineering & Humanities Foundation. This is more in recognition of the need for a new "ethic" rather than as the desirability of conflating all knowledge to scientific methods as some scientists (E.O Wilson in CONSILIENCE) have recently called for.

Regardless of where you are in the sciences this book is sure to affect you. Many of the excesses and cases of influence and false claims are known about, and more importantly have already been condemned by well thinking professionals. Nevertheless by presenting it in such a readable format Greenberg will enjoy significant readership among the skeptical public. This at a time when science is engaged in the most far reaching issues for humanity, only means that scientists can expect more questions from an interested, and much better informed public. ... Read more

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A core text for freshman/senior-level courses in Introduction to Political Science, Political Theory, Comparative Government; a supplementary text for courses in International Relations and American Government (foreign policy).

Using a chronological organization, this text explains the evolution of political thought over the past three centuries and describes political ideologies in the context of the social, economic, and political circumstances in which they developed. It provides students with a complete understanding of political ideologies and how these concepts relate to their own lives.

Customer Reviews (8)

Great reference book!! Well organized..too the point
"Using a chronological organization, this text explains the evolution of political thought over the past three centuries and describes political ideologies in the context of the social, economic, and political circumstances in which they developed. It provides students with a complete understanding of political ideologies and how these concepts relate to their own lives"...and it does it well!!! Really well organized and easy to read....If you want to know about the political spectrum..this is a great book to learn....I learned alot about my postion on the spectrum..I think most readers will do the same as well

Should a 10th edition have so many typos?
I have several problems with this book.There are factual and logical inaccuracies in it--stuff that's just wrong.The logic of the left-right spectrum and where the status quo line should be placed is almost incomprehensible.Apparently the author spent a whole 15 days touring Cuba, which qualifies him to make all sorts of general statements about Cuban government, history, and daily life, but does not qualify him to spell correctly such Spanish words as "campesino" and "Raul".Which brings me to my biggest peave: there are tons of typos!Many really important ones!I am now reading a section that is actually entitled "Imperalism"--two i's instead of the required three!Within the section the word is randomly spelled correctly about half the time.Does that really pass as good enough?How can we insist on good writing skills from students when books that have had 9 previous bites at the apple still can't get it right?

great book
I'm actually thinking about taking his class next year and i'm going to keep this book for reference. Well written.

Well written
As an introduction to the topic, I think that this book is excellently written. The only problem is that the author gives his opinion in so many places. I think it is good for an author to state his opinion and explain it to people, but not in a book that is an introduction to a topic. In introductions it would be better to let the reader just know about the topic since it is too early for him/her to have an opinion about it. However, the author did explain most ideologies and he was fair in treating them. He did not attack ideologies that were not his own. The book clearly explains most ideologies and the author brings into the discussion economic, political and philosophical issues in a coherent way. Had he not been so opinionated I would have given this book five stars.

Liberal tripe
My daughter has to answer some questions based on parts of this book and I was wondering why she was complaining.All you have to do is read part of it and you see that it's inaccurate and wrong.In a vacuum, I can see how people would fall for this stuff, but with so much more information around us, the book is obviously indoctrination for kindergarteners - it's that simplistic.

I suggest you watch this talk by Evan Sayet. Evan used to write for Bill Maher: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaE98w1KZ-c
Evan is talking about the newer strain of liberals - which he calls Modern Liberals - as opposed to the more traditional ones that are aligned with our Founding beliefs.You can see the patterns of Modern Liberalism in all sorts of things.Evan explains why Modern Liberals want the US (and Western Civilization) to lose in Iraq, why they fight increasing the supply of oil (which will help poor people), why they support the Iranian President's verbal attacks on Israel and the US while ignoring the human rights record and his attacks on gays, why mediocre (socialized) healthcare is better than good healthcare, etc, etc, etc.

Please watch the video.

As for my daughter's work, it comes down to answering correctly or according to what the teacher wants.
... Read more

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This book explains in depth the nature of charismatic political leadership and the processes by which it comes into being. Willner deals with cultural myths, the importance of crisis, the relationship between sexual potency and political power, the role of oratory and political rhetoric, and features engrossing details from the careers of charismatic political leaders of the twentieth century. ... Read more

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The spellbinders
This book is a great overall look at charismatic political leaders.It covers charisma from different aspects, and what make someone charismatic.Well written and easy to understand with a good background. ... Read more

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The Progressive Revolution in Politics and Political Science explores the scope, ambition, and effect of the Progressive revolution of a century ago, which relegated the theory and practice of the Founders to an antiquated historical phase. By contrast, our contributors see beyond the horizon of Progressivism to take account of the Founders' moral and political premises and illuminate its effects on our political science and political practice today. It is a study in political philosophy, intellectual history, and current political understanding. ... Read more

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A Counterrevolutionary Work
This volume comprises eleven essays by academic political scientists assessing the effect of the Progressive movement on their discipline and field of study.The essays are all, or virtually all, expanded versions of papers presented during the centenary convention of the American Political Science Association in late 2003.There are two sections of five essays each:the first dealing with the Progressive attack on the founding principles of the American regime; and the second dealing with the effect of Progressive "reforms" in practice.The central, and by far the longest, essay, by Edward Erler, concerns the Progressive transformation of American constitutional law, and that essay acts as a kind of hinge connecting the two main sections of the book.
Probably the most important essays are the keynote essays of each section, written by Thomas West and John Marini, respectively.West, whose published writings include both esoteric commentaries on ancient political philosophy and also sharp contemporary political analysis, finds the roots of the Progressive revolution in the philosophy of Rousseau and Hegel, which is antithetical to the natural rights tradition at the heart of American constitutional government.Marini, perhaps the most astute observer of the transformation of the American political system wrought by the Progressives, concentrates on the Progressives' substitution of the administrative state for the politics of self-government.
Each of the eleven essays is worthy of note in its own right, and all are redolent of serious research and profound reflection.Because the unifying theme of the volume is a critique of the Progressive "revolution" in political science, particular mention should probably be made of Larry Peterman's concluding essay, which leads the reader back beyond even the political science that informed the American founding, to the founding of political science itself, by Aristotle.
This volume, described by its publisher as a "counterrevolutionary work," must be regarded as indispensable reading for anyone who would understand the transformation of the American regime and as the starting point for recovery of an older (and better) political science.One last note:the careful reader is cautioned not to overlook the endnotes. ... Read more

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The Oxford Handbook of Political Psychology is a comprehensive, contemporary, cumulative, and international reference work for the field of political psychology. On the broadest level, political psychology is an application of what is known about human psychology to the study of politics. The topics covered will build up from the individual level (attitudes, values, decision making, ideology, personality) to the collective (group identity, mass mobilization, political violence), span models of the mass public and political elites, and cover both domestic issues, international relations, and foreign policy. ... Read more

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The best starting point for those interested in political psychology
Up to now I perused through the pages and read on some hot topics that are discussed in the field of political psychology today.
My intention, as a Masters student in Social Psychology, is to see if this book serves as a good basis for a possible Ph.D later on, as the university in the Netherlands where I'm currently studying does not present a similar course. This well written book has served as a good source of inspiration on which one would want to delve further in this interesting field. If there is anyone out there with similar interests, I would strongly advise you to get hold of this book. On the surface it looks intimidating and hard to wrestle through, but is written very comprehensively and is an easy and (very) intersting read.

basic readable reference
This work is a self-conscious précis of the current professional norms of political psychology which loosely presents itself as applying what is best known in psychology to political science. In many ways political psychology puts a human face on social political processes that addresses motivesas well as clusters of behavior needing explication that soft pedals reductive theory for more empirical observation quantified from many events and cultural circumstances. The essays in Handbook of Political Psychology serve to convey the general nature and range of the subject while also being a guide to the central issues and studies in the field. It belongs in every political science library. ... Read more