Politics
A Unified Introduction to How Democracy Works
2nd Edition
Will be published approx. on 22. June 2026
514 pages
978-1-040-50985-2 (ISBN)
Description
The second edition of this comprehensive introduction to politics remains an essential framework for assessing the health and workings of present-day democracy. The book explores how democratic processes bring public policy into line with popular, basically centrist, preferences. In helping explain its workings, it equips us to better defend democracy.
Applying newly integrated theories of democratic processes to contemporary developments such as the use of right-wing populism across the world, it is the first textbook to help readers develop and apply predictive explanations for themselves. In doing so, it provides straightforward practical tools for evaluating how current events impact on democratic procedures and processes.
Key features:
Provides answers to key questions such as how much contemporary democracies have lost direction under the impact of populist parties, big business and international threats
Validated against statistical evidence and examples from across the world, it details more exactly when and how democracy goes wrong and how to put it right
Shows how to develop predictive explanations as a basis for action, thus strengthening democracy by understanding it better
Outlines-in easy-to-understand terms-the basic statistical approaches that drive empirically informed analysis
In-text features include chapter summaries, reviews, key points, illustrative briefings, key concepts and project and essay suggestions, plus further reading
Politics is an essential resource for students of political science hoping for a rules-based global order, and of key interest to economics, public policy analysis, and more broadly, the social sciences.
Applying newly integrated theories of democratic processes to contemporary developments such as the use of right-wing populism across the world, it is the first textbook to help readers develop and apply predictive explanations for themselves. In doing so, it provides straightforward practical tools for evaluating how current events impact on democratic procedures and processes.
Key features:
Provides answers to key questions such as how much contemporary democracies have lost direction under the impact of populist parties, big business and international threats
Validated against statistical evidence and examples from across the world, it details more exactly when and how democracy goes wrong and how to put it right
Shows how to develop predictive explanations as a basis for action, thus strengthening democracy by understanding it better
Outlines-in easy-to-understand terms-the basic statistical approaches that drive empirically informed analysis
In-text features include chapter summaries, reviews, key points, illustrative briefings, key concepts and project and essay suggestions, plus further reading
Politics is an essential resource for students of political science hoping for a rules-based global order, and of key interest to economics, public policy analysis, and more broadly, the social sciences.
Reviews / Votes
"Ian Budge and Michael McDonald demonstrate not only how democratic systems work under changing conditions but also how to empirically investigate the relationship between citizens' preferences and policy performances of governments using 'predictive theorizing'. The exceptional strength of this book is the accessible text and application of testing theories. This 2nd edition provides up-to-date information on democracies in a changing world. I hold this introduction to 'Politics' as unique and is a must-read for political scientists and beyond."Hans Keman, Emeritus Professor of Comparative Political Science, Vrije Universteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands"This is a really comprehensive and thorough introduction to political science. It pioneers 'predictive theory' that is theory based on realistic assumptions about political actors, institutions and processes and which is validated by extensive testing for its accuracy. The focus is on providing general explanations of the causes and consequences of political action across countries and in institutions making it is essential reading for introductory students of politics."
Paul Whiteley, Emeritus Professor of Government, University of Essex, UK"I really like this book. Driven by predictive political theory that builds on and extends the large body of research on modern representative democracies, it helps explain the politics and policy that we actually observe. Politics, second edition not only makes that real world more understandable, but it does so in an engaging and compelling way. I heartily recommend it."
Christopher Wlezien, Hogg Professor of Government, University of Texas at Austin, USA
More details
Edition
2nd edition
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
34 Tables, black and white; 55 Line drawings, black and white; 55 Illustrations, black and white
File size
11,00 MB
ISBN-13
978-1-040-50985-2 (9781040509852)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
New editions
E-Book
12/2018
3rd Edition
Routledge
€60.49
Available for download
Additional editions
Book
approx. 06/2026
2nd Edition
Routledge
€52.50
Not yet published
Book
approx. 06/2026
2nd Edition
Routledge
€191.50
Not yet published
Previous edition
E-Book
01/2026
1st Edition
Routledge
€73.99
Available for download
Persons
Ian Budge is Emeritus Professor in the Department of Government, University of Essex, UK, and well known internationally as the author of numerous research articles and textbooks on democratic politics.
Michael D. McDonald is Emeritus Professor of Political Science at Binghamton University, USA, a former Director of the Center on Democratic Performance, and a gold medallist for his work in that area.
Michael D. McDonald is Emeritus Professor of Political Science at Binghamton University, USA, a former Director of the Center on Democratic Performance, and a gold medallist for his work in that area.
Content
1. Introduction: politics and policy - what do we want to explain and how? PART 1 - PROCESSES: elections alternate party-based governments with different preferences and priorities, thus bringing public policies into line with centrist majority preferences in the long run 2. Why politics? Making policies to provide public goods 3. How popular preferences develop 4. Measuring electoral preferences 5. Electors' policy thinking: from a joined-up left-right perspective to issue-by-issue reactions 6. Party policy thinking: framing policy targets and estimating majority preferences from elections 7. Matching public policy to popular preferences 8. Opening up to populists: Using alternation theory to analyse US Policy Representation 1952-2025 PART 2 - RULES: rules designate - but may misrepresent - majority preferences, thus biasing policy outcomes 9. Majority choice of policies: voting paradoxes and attempted solutions 10. General elections and election systems: finalizing the collective choice of policies PART 3 - PROTAGONISTS: parties and governments shape popular preferences and reflect them in public policies 11. Citizens, parties and governments: interactive preference formation 12. Political parties: ideological policy carriers 13. Governments: prime participants in policymaking 14. Ministries: separating out policy areas PART 4 - STATES: collective action without binding rules 15. Globalization and world democracy 16. Challenges to a rule-based international order PART 5 - EXPLANATION: explaining politics by specifying its processes more exactly so as to predict outcomes 17. Generating 'Big Data': sources, procedures, error checks 18. Simplifying 'Big Data': dimensions, majorities and the (missing?) middle 19. Managing 'Big Data': theoretical explanation and statistical analysis 20. Developing political science by explaining democracy
