Comparative politics Books

Book SynopsisFrom the erosion of state legitimacy in Lebanon to the use of smartphones in Kyrgyzstan, from a Polish suburb to the music scene in Azerbaijan, this volume attempts to explain why, in a variety of world regions, a substantial number of people tend to ignore or act against state rules. We propose to look at informality beyond simplistic associations of the phenomenon with a single category such as "informal labour" or "corruption". By doing this, we propose to look for a correlation between the emergence, and persistence, of some informal practices and the quality of governance in a given area. We also suggest that a better understanding of the variety of informal practices present in a region can help conceptualising more adequate interventions and eventually improve the socio-economic conditions of its inhabitants. Table of ContentsPart I. Introduction. - Chapter 1. The (im)moralities of informality: states, their citizens and conflicting moral orders (Abel Polese). - Part II. Coming. - Chapter 2. (Im)mobilities and Informality as Livelihood Strategies in Transnational Social Fields (Ignacio Fradejas-García, José Molina and Miranda Lubbers). - Chapter 3. Restaurant Backyards, Food Stores, and Temples. Invisibility, informal labour Practices, and Migrant Networks in the Suburbs of Warsaw (Karolina Bielenin-Lenczowska and Helena Patzer). - Chapter 4. Informal Networks Among Immigrant Entrepreneurs: Case of Croatia (Ružica Šimić Banović, Vlatka Škokić, Mirela Alpeza). - Chapter 5. “Performance of Illegality” towards migrants living with HIV in Russia: from Social Exclusion to Deportation (Daniel Kashinitsky). - Part III. Staying. - Chapter 5. Institutions and the Informal Economy – Tax Morale of Small Businesses in Armenia and Georgia (Joanna Paquin). - Chapter 6. Left in the “Shadows”: the Informal Moral Economy of the Russian Far East (Aimar Ventsel). - Chapter 7. Azerbaijani Meykhana: Cultural Policy and Local Actors’ Agenda (Aneta Strzemżalska). - Chapter 8. Everyday forms of governance in Uzbekistan: the illegal, the immoral and the illegitimate (Abel Polese, Rustamjon Urinboyev, Mans Svensson, Laura Adams, Tanel Kerikmäe). - Part IV. Competing. - Chapter 9. Mixed Perceptions of State Responsibility among Informal Sector Participants (Anil Duman). - Chapter 10. State Collusion or Erosion During a Sovereign Debt Crisis: Market Dynamics Spawn Informal Practices in Lebanon (Joseph Helou). - Chapter 11. Perceived Pull and Push Factors of Healthcare Professionals Intention for Mobility: The Case Of Romania (Elena Druică and Rodica Ianole – Călin). - Chapter 12. E-nformality: Smartphones as a New Regulatory Space for Informal Exchange of Formal Resources (Aksana Ismailbekova and Gulzat Baialieva). - Chapter 13. Work, Subsistence and Distress of the Homeless in Moldova (Petru Negură)

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Book SynopsisThis book analyses French cultural policies in the face of what the French government perceives as a challenge to its Republican secular raison d'être. It makes general arguments about France’s changing identity and specific arguments about the burqa and niqab ban. The book further explains how French history shaped the ideology of secularism and of public civil religion, and how colonial legacy, immigration, fear of terrorism, and security needs have led France to adopt the trinity of indivisibilité, sécurité, laïcité while paying homage to the traditional trinity of liberté, égalité, fraternité. The book argues that while this motto of the French Revolution is still symbolically and politically important, its practical significance as it has been translated to policy implementation has been eroded. It shows how the emergence of the new trinity at the expense of the old one is evident when analyzing the debates concerning cultural policies in France in the face of the Islamic garb, the burqa, and the niqab, which are perceived as a challenge to France’s national secular raison d'être. Subsequently, the book raises various important questions, such as: Is the burqa and niqab ban socially just? Does it reasonably balance the preservation of societal values and freedom of conscience? What are the true motives behind the ban? Has the discourse changed in the age of COVID-19, when all people are required to wear a mask in the public space?Therefore, this book is a must-read for students, scholars, and researchers of political science, as well as a general audience interested in a better understanding of French politics, elections, cultural policy, secularism, and identity. Table of ContentsIntroduction.- The Underpinning Values of the French Republic.- The Shaping of the Republic: The Influence of Colonialism, Immigration, and Terrorism.- Banning the Burga and the Niqab.- Conclusion.

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Book SynopsisThis book examines three cases of democratic transitions by self-transformation of the non-democratic regimes in Southern Europe—the Spanish reforma pactada-ruptura pactada of 1976-77, the Greek “Markezinis experiment” of 1973, and the Turkish democratic transition of 1983—in a comparative perspective. The author argues that a democratic transition initiated by the regime elites is, in contrast to widely held assumptions and notwithstanding some reservations on whether democracy can be (re-)introduced by non-democrats, worth viewing as a “window of opportunity” for democratisation. It is up to the democratic counter-elites to respond to it, using the civil society and the international factor as allies to achieve their goal of acquiring more concessions from the regime.Table of ContentsChapter 1. Democratisation Theory and Comparative Politics.Chapter 2. From 'Organic Democracy' to 'Democracy without Adjectives': Spain 1976-77.Chapter 3. From Dictatorship to Dictatorship: Greece 1973.Chapter 4. From Dictatorship to 'Difficult Democracy': Turkey 1983. Chapter 5. Is 'Democracy Out of Tyranny' Feasible and Viable?

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Book SynopsisThis book explores the resilience of constitutional government in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, connecting and comparing perspectives from ten countries in sub-Saharan Africa to global trends.In emergency situations, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, a state has the right and duty under both international law and domestic constitutional law to take appropriate steps to protect the health and security of its population. Emergency regimes may allow for the suspension or limitation of normal constitutional government and even human rights. Those measures are not a license for authoritarian rule, but they must conform to legal standards of necessity, reasonableness, and proportionality that limit state action in ways appropriate to the maintenance of the rule of law in the context of a public health emergency. Bringing together established and emerging African scholars from ten countries, this book looks at the impact government emergency responses to the pandemic have on the functions of the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary, as well as the protection of human rights. It also considers whether and to what extent government emergency responses were consistent with international human rights law, in particular with the standards of legality, necessity, proportionality, and non-discrimination in the Siracusa Principles.Table of ContentsChapter 1. Constitutional Resilience and the Covid-19 PandemicDerek Powell and Ebenezer DurojayeChapter 2. International Human Rights Norms and Standards on Derogation and Limitation of Rights during a Public EmergencyAdetoun Adebanjo and Ebenezer DurojayeChapter 3. Addressing Covid-19: A Test of Kenya’s Constitutional and Democratic ResilienceJosephat Muuo Kilonzo and Balla GalmaChapter 4. Covid-19 and Zambia’s Constitutional DilemmaChristopher PhiriChapter 5. Constitutional Resilience and Limitation of Rights under Covid-19 Response in South SudanJoseph Geng AkechChapter 6. The Covid-19 Pandemic and Constitutional Resilience in The GambiaSatang Nabaneh and Basiru BahChapter 7. Walking a Tightrope: Balancing Human Rights and Public Health Measures during the Covid-19 Pandemic in NigeriaOlubayo OluduroChapter 8. The Constitutionality of Legal Measures Taken by the Government of Mauritius in the Context of the Covid-19 PandemicRoopanand Mahadew Chapter 9. Constitutional and Human Rights Issues Arising from Covid-19: Uganda’s Youth in ContextRobert Doya NanimaChapter 10. The (Il)legality of Ghana’s Covid-19 Emergency Response: A CommentaryBright NkrumahChapter 11. Constitutional and Human Rights Issues Arising from Covid-19 in South AfricaRobert Doya Nanima and Ebenezer DurojayeChapter 12. Zimbabwe’s Response to Covid-19 and its Socio-economic ImpactTinotenda Chidhawu

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Book SynopsisThis edited collection explores how party politics impacts the implementation of gender quotas in political representation across Europe. Contributors identify actors, institutions, and cultural legacies shape how quotas are put into practice. The volume’s subtitle, Resisting Institutions, points to the myriad ways in which parties and other institutions in Europe over time have resisted the inclusion of women into politics. As voluntary party quotas and legislative quotas gained prominence, so did strategies to undermine them. At the same time, Resisting Institutions also indicates that gender equality actors have developed ways to counter such blockages and advance the cause of parity in their legislatures. 17 country cases explore the current state of quota implementation and the effects of confronting androcentric institutions. Table of Contents1. Party Politics and the Implementation of Gender Quotas: Resisting Institutions (Sabine Lang, Peter Meier and Birgit Sauer)Part I. No or Informalized Quotas2. Practices and Strategies of Gender Representations in Danish Political Parties (Lise Rolandson Agustin, Christina Fiig & Birte Siim)3. How Gender Quotas Work in Switzerland (Gesine Fuchs)Part II. Party Quotas4. Nested Newness and Critical Junctures: Quota Implementation Flaws in the Austrian Party Democracy (Katja Chmilewski & Birgit Sauer)5. From Party Quotas to Parity? Legislative Gender Representation in Germany at a Crossroads (Petra Ahrens & Sabine Lang)6. Implementing Special Measures for Political Representation and Gender in Sweden (Lenita Freidenvall)7. The Implementation of Equality-Based Candidate Selection Decisions in the British Labour and Conservative Parties (Jeanette Ashe, Rosie Campbell, Sarah Childs & Joni Lovenduski)Part III. Legislative Quotas9. 25 Years of Gender Quotas, still a Man's World? Implementation in the Belgian Case (Silvia Erzeel, Petra Meier & Audrey Vandeleene)10. Only Stand-ins? Women's Parliamentary Representation and Quota Implementation in Croatia since 2011 (Marjeta Šinko)11. Twenty Years of Parité under the Microscope in France: parties Play with rather than by the Rules (Catherine Achin, Sandrine Lévêque & Amy Mazur)12. Ireland: Understanding Gender Quotas as a Stepping-Stone to Gender Transformation and Empowerment (mary Brennan, Fiona Buckley & Yvonne Galligan)13. Gender Quota and Local Political Parties: Varieties of Implementation in Italy (Alessia Donà)14. The Least That Could Have Been Done? The Ambiguous Effects of Gender Quotas in Polish Parliamentary Elections (Barbara Gaweda)15. Implementing Gender Quotas in Portugal - a Success Story? (Ana Espírito-Santo, Ana Lúcia Teixeira and Maria Helena Santos)16. Legislative Quotas and Political Representation in Serbia (Lilijana Čičkarić)17. Legislative Gender Quotas in Slovenia - Implemented but not Internalized (Milica Antić Gaber and Irena Selišnik)18. "It's the Party, Stupid!": Success of and Resistance to Gender Quotas in Spain (Tània Verge)

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Book SynopsisGlobalisation, regionalisation, new technology, demography, voters’ expectations and re-structuring of societies are expected to influence welfare state development for years to come. This handbook analyses how different welfare state models and regimes will be able to cope with contemporary and future challenges, providing a variety of evidence based tools that make it essential reading for students, researchers and policy makers alike.

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Book Synopsis The nucleus of society is situated at the local level: in the village, the neighborhood, the city district. This is where a community first develops collective rules that are intended to ensure its continued existence. The contributors look at such configurations in geographical areas and time periods that lie outside of the modern Western world with its particular development of society and statehood: in Antiquity and in the Global South of the present. Here states tend to be weak, with obvious challenges and opportunities for local communities. How does governance in this context work? Scholars from various disciplines (Classics, Theology, Political Science, Sociology, Social Anthropology, Human Geography, Sinology) analyze different kinds of local arrangements in case studies, and they do so with a comparative approach. The sixteen papers examine the scope and spatial contingency of forms of self-governance; its legitimization and the collective identity of the groups behind them; the relations to different levels of state governance as well as to other local groups. Overall, this volume makes an interdisciplinary contribution to a better understanding of fundamental elements of local governance and statehood.

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Book SynopsisThis book is a survey of the field of development studies from a political economy perspective. It first reviews the academic literature on development and highlights the fundamental importance of institutions and social values, over and above other alternative theories, as determinants in long-run development. In this context, the book draws from the works of Nobel Laureates Douglass North, F.A. Hayek and Elinor Ostrom, and argues that the ingredients of property rights, the rule of law, and market freedoms are essential in generating socio-economic progress. Successful reforms however are not simply a function of constructing formal institutions, but must cohere with the social values, norms, and cultural commitments of local communities. It is in this spirit that the book theorises on the oft-neglected role that political entrepreneurs play in driving endogenous institutional change. Specifically, this book integrates the theoretical discussion on market-driven development with a range of case studies from around the world, featuring the bottom-up efforts of local change agents to pursue institutional reforms and changes in social opinion. Table of ContentsInstitutions Matter.- Formal Institutions.- Informal Institutions and Culture.- Institutions or Discretionary Leadership?.- Institutional Entrepreneurship and the Role of Non-profits.

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Book SynopsisFirst published in 1977, A History of Rhodesia is a history of the origins and course of modern European occupation of âSouthern Rhodesiaâ, âRhodesiaâ as it has been termed since the old âNorthern Rhodesiaâ became independent under the name Zambia in 1963. Robert Blake describes the years of the Monomotapa; the Portuguese occupation in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries; the Ndebele kingdom of the nineteenth century; the advent of Cecil Rhodes and the establishment of the Chartered Company which ruled Rhodesia until 1922; the period Southern Rhodesia enjoyed a self-governing colony from 1923 to 1951; the years of the Central African Federation from 1953 to its dissolution in 1963; and finally the dramatic course of events which led to Ian Smithâs government making a unilateral declaration of independence in 1965. The years since UDI are covered by a long epilogue that takes the story forward to the early months of 1977.Rhodesian history is a strange and intriguing compound of romance, idealism, courage, arrogance, avarice and accident. Rhodesiaâs story is not only that of economic, political, ideological and external forces which have shaped itâit is also that of the individuals who madeâor failed to make decisions: Rhodes, Lobengula, Jameson, Lord Malvern, Roy Welensky, Garfield Todd, Joshua Nkomo, Ian Smith.Written with access to many collections of papers not normally available to historians, Robert Blakeâs book is a major contribution to the history of colonial and post-colonial Africa.

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Book SynopsisThe Legacy of Eric Williams provides an indispensable and significant understanding of Eric Williams's contributions to the now independent nation of Trinidad and Tobago and his impact on the broader international understanding of the Caribbean. This book stands out because of its simultaneous investigation into Eric Williams as a scholar/intellectual, a political leader, and, most importantly, a key postcolonial figure. Most previous studies have treated these as separate arenas.The essays here confront the relevance of postcolonialism in understanding Williams's role both in post-independence Trinidad and Tobago and in newer understandings of Caribbean globalization. The volume divides into three broad sections--""Becoming Eric Williams,"" ""Political Williams,"" and ""Textual Williams."" ""Becoming Eric Williams"" provides background on Williams and the Caribbean's ontological quest, addressing what it means to be West Indian and Caribbean. ""Political Williams"" engages with his policies and their consequences, describing the impact of Williams's political policies on several areas: integration, color stratification, and labor and public sector reform. Williams's far-reaching political influence in these aspects cements his legacy as one of the main public intellectuals responsible for creating the modern Caribbean. ""Textual Williams"" examines his scholarly contributions from a more traditional academic perspective. These sections allow for a comprehensive understanding of Williams as a man, a scholar, and a politician.

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Book SynopsisOriginally published in 2006, this book brings together the insights gained from decades of continuous study of, and reflections on, the relationship between politicians and civil servants that are linked, in varying degrees, to the development process. While four of the eight chapters in the book focus on Guinea, Malawi, Nigeria and Senegal, another four treat the central theme of the book in a comparative perspective, drawing on experiences of some sub-Saharan African countries and some international comparisons, especially the experiences of Britain and France. Furthermore, the book sheds light on the extent to which inherited administrative principles and practices have remained influential in African countries. The book discusses some desirable future directions, including some reform initiatives in both the civil service and the political arena, for enhancing the development performance of African governments.Students of public administration, political science and development studies will find the book both useful and challenging.

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Book SynopsisA free open access ebook is available upon publication. Learn more at www.luminosoa.org. The rise of China and India could be the most important political development of the twenty-first century. What will the foreign policies of China and India look like in the future? What should they look like? And what can each country learn from the other? Bridging Two Worldsgathers a coterie of experts in the field, analyzing profound political thinkers from these ancient regions whose theories of interstate relations set the terms for the debates today. This volume is the first work that systematically compares ancient thoughts and theories about international politics between China and India. It is essential reading for anyone interested in the growth of China and India and what it will mean for the rest of the world.

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Book SynopsisScientists have a choice concerning what role they should play in political debates and policy formation, particularly in terms of how they present their research. This book is about understanding this choice, what considerations are important to think about when deciding, and the consequences of such choices for the individual scientist and the broader scientific enterprise. Rather than prescribing what course of action each scientist ought to take, the book aims to identify a range of options for individual scientists to consider in making their own judgments about how they would like to position themselves in relation to policy and politics. Using examples from a range of scientific controversies and thought-provoking analogies from other walks of life, The Honest Broker challenges us all - scientists, politicians and citizens - to think carefully about how best science can contribute to policy-making and a healthy democracy.Trade Review'With an analytical honesty unmarred by hidden agendas, Roger Pielke brilliantly brings the murky interface of science and politics into perfect focus. Scientists and policy makers alike need to read this book, and need to absorb its wisdom.' Michael M. Crow, President, Arizona State University'Roger Pielke Jr has produced a beautifully clear account of the often murky relationship between scientific advice and the policy process. While his distinction between pure scientist, science arbiter, issue advocate, and honest broker may not fully satisfy purists in Science and Technology Studies (STS), it ought to be compulsory reading for every science graduate and all decision makers in government, business, the judiciary, or campaigning groups who claim that their decisions are rooted in scientific evidence. It is also an invaluable guide to the ordinary citizen who just wants to navigate through the confusion and contradiction that often seems to surround the use of science in policy debates.' Steve Rayner, James Martin Professor of Science and Civilization, University of Oxford'Decision-making can be an important problem, both in everyday life and when science, politics and policy are involved. The Honest Broker broadens the options of decision-making by going beyond the traditional roles of the 'pure scientist' or the 'issue advocate'. Scientific knowledge can be integrated with stakeholder concerns if the policy context is taken into account in an adequate way. Based on extensive experience in the analysis of decision-making relating to scientific and technological issues, Roger Pielke Jr goes a long way to be an honest broker himself: between science and democracy.' Helga Nowotny, Vice-President of the Scientific Council of the European Research Council and Fellow at Wissenschaftszentrum Wien'In The Honest Broker: Making Sense of Science in Policy and Politics, Roger Pielke Jr successfully illuminates these challenges to science and scientists … Pielke's framework provides a helpful starting point for investigating factors that complicate the science-society relationship. . . Pielke deftly shows how scientists selections among these options can affect outcomes …the books direct language and concrete examples convey the concepts to a wide audience. By categorizing different roles in the often vexed but necessary relations between scientists and their social world, Pielke clarifies choices not only for scientists but also for the diverse members of democratic society, for whom scientific perspectives are an essential component of better policy.' Science'This is a clear, thought-provoking book that helps move us away from thinking of science as 'pure' and distinct from policy. It would make an excellent basis for a graduate seminar.' Nature'The Honest Broker is a must-read for any scientist with even a modest interest in environmental policy or politics, and I recommend it especially to scientists unfamiliar with the continuing controversy over how scientists misuse science in environmental policy and politics … In summary, The Honest Broker is an important book, and it should be read by everyone.' Bioscience'Scientists and those in the business of science policy should read this book and consider its message carefully, because it has the potential to both bolster the legitimacy of the scientific enterprise and improve policy making. STS and social studies of science scholars are likely to find his argument familiar, but Pielke has developed such an incisive framework that even these audiences will find new and valuable contributions. Furthermore, his book is exemplary in its clear, jargon-free accessibility, which makes it an excellent pedagogical tool for initiating students into issues of science and society.' Adam Briggle, Social Studies of ScienceTable of ContentsList of figures; List of tables; Acknowledgements; 1. Four idealized roles of science in policy and politics; 2. The big picture, science and democracy; 3. Science and decision making; 4. Values; 5. Uncertainty; 6. How Science policy shapes science in policy and politics; 7. Preemption and the decision to go to war in Iraq; 8. When scientists politicize science; 9. Making sense of science in policy and politics; References; Index.

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Book SynopsisWho votes for whom and why? Political Cleavages and Social Inequalities provides the most comprehensive empirical answer to that question. The authors analyze seventy-five years of survey data from fifty democracies, revealing the socioeconomic correlates of partisanship, inequality, nationalism, and identity politics around the world.Trade ReviewThis book is a breakthrough in the existing literature on the politics of social inequality. Not merely is the analysis intensively data-based, it goes beyond the usual confines of a small number of western democracies to a set of fifty democracies (or semi-democracies) in different continents over many decades. The analysis throughout is highly sensible, informative, and insightful. -- Pranab Bardhan, University of California, BerkeleyThis monumental book presents the first international and historical analysis of political cleavages and of their interplay with inequality. This is a must-read book for anyone wanting to understand electoral politics in today’s democracies—the rise of ‘identity politics’ in some countries but not others, and the multiplicity of possible futures for the dynamic of inequality. -- Gabriel Zucman, University of California, BerkeleyThis impressive book will rapidly become the central reference point for systematically charting trends in voting alignment across the globe. By including nations from the global South alongside established liberal democracies, Gethin and his colleagues challenge endemic Western biases in political research and reveal the systematic ways that inequality and credentialism have redrawn voting patterns over recent decades. Gethin and his coauthors offer exactly the kind of big picture perspective which political activists and campaigners, as much as social scientists, will hugely appreciate. -- Mike Savage, author of The Return of InequalityThis ambitious collection tackles a set of timely questions about the interplay among inequality levels and trends, political preferences and electoral behavior, and voters’ demographic and economic characteristics. Ideally, the volume will land in the hands of diverse audiences concerned with political polarization and social inequalities—including multidisciplinary social scientists, political actors, and social activists. -- Janet C. Gornick, Director, Stone Center on Socio-Economic Inequality at The Graduate Center, City University of New YorkHere is a welcome throwback to the ambitious political sociology of the mid-twentieth century. The analyses are solid and the geographical range is appealingly broad. The authors’ portraits of shifting social cleavages raise fascinating questions about the nature and implications of ‘class politics’ in the contemporary world. -- Larry M. Bartels, Vanderbilt UniversityCombining ambition with humility, this volume explores cross-national and temporal variation in the structure of political cleavages with an eye to explaining the conditions under which income and wealth inequality becomes a topic of political contestation (or not). Refreshingly, the volume sidesteps longstanding debates among political scientists and illustrates how looking for patterns in macro data can yield new insights. Harmonizing election surveys from fifty countries, the database assembled by Piketty and his collaborators itself represents a major contribution. -- Jonas Pontusson, University of Geneva

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"A groundbreaking sociological analysis of democratic consolidation. . . . [and] a stellar example of comparative historical analysis that builds on original data and rich case studies."---Sefika Kumral, Social Forces

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Bronze Winner in Political and Social Sciences, ForeWord Reviews’ INDIES Book of the Year Awards""A Foreign Affairs Best of Books"

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Modern and multidisciplinary. . . . Settling for Less provides the most comprehensive analysis of settler colonialism."---Kyosuke Kikuta, The Developing Economies"Prodigious research and presentation." * Choice *"McNamee’s book is mandatory reading for scholars interested in both the causes and consequences of colonization. . . . Charles Tilly once warned us not to crow too loudly about the death of empires. But Lachlan McNamee’s excellent, accessible, and well-written book has given us reason to crow. Slowly but surely, the structural force of modernization works against the strategic goals of empire."---Jacob Gerner, Perspectives on Politics"McNamee asks big questions, constructs an original and provocative theory, unearths previously unused, indeed, unknown data, and compiles persuasive evidence to support his hypotheses . . . Settling for Less is an extraordinary first book of the sort to which authors aspire."---David A. Lake, Political Science Quarterly

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Book SynopsisMany Western countries have seen an increase in the volume and importance of external consultants in the public policy process. This book investigates and compares the use of these consultants and explores the implications for the nature of the state and for democratically legitimized and accountable decision-making.Trade Review'Policy consultancy - 'the invisible public service' - has for a long time been somewhat of a blind spot in policy analysis. Caspar van den Berg, Michael Howlett, Andrea Migone, Michael Howard, Frida Pemer and Helen M. Gunter make a strong case that policy consultancy is far more important than the previous literature suggests. They sustain this argument by [providing] a detailed comparative analysis of policy consultancy in six countries representing three different types of institutional systems and administrative traditions. The book is a valuable resource to students and scholars in public administration, public management and political science.' Jon Pierre, University of Gothenburg, Sweden'We have known for some time that consultants can play an important role in governments - as part of consultocracy or the contracting state - but details have been elusive. This study of policy consultancy in six countries, representing three systems of government, opens this field up to scrutiny. What do policy consultants do and to what effect and how does their use vary and compare with other forms of external advice? In addressing these issues, the book will become a key resource for policymakers and scholars in public administration and policy and political sciences.' Andrew Sturdy, University of Bristol and co-author of Management as Consultancy'This book fills a blind spot in the study of public policy and public administration. Consultants, especially policy consultancy, could be part of a solution, by thinking out of the box, but also, could become part of a problem, when a public sector contracts out its brains. The authors show a reality which is much more complex than just bureaucrats and consultocrats by giving a convincing picture of how supply and demand of ideas dynamically interact in different countries.' Geert Bouckaert, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven'Policy Consultancy in Comparative Perspective is a long-needed book that sheds light on the use of consultants, its scope, causes and implications. This empirically rich book is a valuable contribution to the field of public administration by showing how and why central governments increasingly turn to policy consultants and that in the contractor state the distinction between internal public servants and external consultants becomes evermore blurred. Everyone interested in the internal dynamics of governments and patterns of change in policy-making should read this book.' Thurid Hustedt, Hertie School of Governance, Berlin'This is an important book, rich in its theoretical, empirical and comparative approach. By focusing on the role that consultants have come to play in the policy arena, it fills a gap in the public policy literature and clearly introduces something new that students of public administration need to be concerned with. The impact of these consultants has largely been ignored and this important work puts them where they belong: that is, in the mix of the forces that shape public policies. The work explores the multifarious tasks they perform in the policy-making arena: from analyzing … advising … recommending, and even to communicating and publicizing policies.' Ezra Suleiman, IBM Professor of International Studies, Princeton University, New JerseyTable of ContentsList of figures; List of tables; Author biographies; Acknowledgements; List of abbreviations; 1. Policy consultancy in comparative perspective; 2. Consultancy in the UK Government: modernising privatism; 3. Policy consulting in the USA: significant but in decline? 4. Entrenched and escalating: policy-relevant consulting and contracting in Australia, 1987–2017; 5. From corporatist to contractor state? Policy consulting in The Netherlands; 6. Policy consultants for substance and process: a review of the supply and demand for Canadian policy consulting; 7. Swedish government agencies' hiring of policy consultants: a phenomenon of increased magnitude and importance? 8. Conclusion: policy consulting in comparative perspective; Appendix A; Appendix B; Appendix C; Appendix D; Appendix E; Appendix F; References; Index.

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Book SynopsisWhat drives politics in dictatorships? Milan W. Svolik argues authoritarian regimes must resolve two fundamental conflicts. Dictators face threats from the masses over which they rule - the problem of authoritarian control. Secondly from the elites with whom dictators rule - the problem of authoritarian power-sharing. Using the tools of game theory, Svolik explains why some dictators establish personal autocracy and stay in power for decades; why elsewhere leadership changes are regular and institutionalized, as in contemporary China; why some dictatorships are ruled by soldiers, as Uganda was under Idi Amin; why many authoritarian regimes, such as PRI-era Mexico, maintain regime-sanctioned political parties; and why a country's authoritarian past casts a long shadow over its prospects for democracy, as the unfolding events of the Arab Spring reveal. Svolik complements these and other historical case studies with the statistical analysis on institutions, leaders and ruling coalitions aTrade Review'Milan Svolik's book is a valuable and wide-ranging contribution to the emerging body of research on authoritarian regimes. Combining formal game-theoretic models, analysis of original cross-national datasets and an impressive array of short illustrative case-studies, he gives new insights into many of the key questions which occupy scholars of comparative authoritarianism. He does so from a parsimonious and powerful theoretical standpoint.' CEU Political Science JournalTable of Contents1. Introduction: the anatomy of dictatorship; 2. The world of authoritarian politics; Part I. The Problem of Authoritarian Power-Sharing: 3. And then there was one!: authoritarian power-sharing and the path to personal dictatorship; 4. Institutions, collective action, and the success of authoritarian power-sharing; Part II. The Problem of Authoritarian Control: 5. Moral hazard in authoritarian repression and the origins of military dictatorships; 6. Why authoritarian parties?: the regime party as an instrument of co-optation and control; 7. Conclusion: incentives and institutions in authoritarian politics.

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Book SynopsisThis book explains why Afghan warring groups constantly aligned with and double-crossed each other and develops a theory on behaviors in multiparty civil wars in general. It shows intergroup alliances and intra-group fractionalization are determined by the distribution of relative power among warring groups, rather than ethnicity, race, ideology or religion.Trade Review'Although some may argue that Christia's neo-realist framework is not comprehensive because it undervalues the ideological and psychological dimensions of civil wars, the author's argument is both persuasive and fundamental to understanding alliance formation and disintegration. The author's observation in the book's conclusion that the alliance shifts in Iraq's Anbar province in favour of the Iraqi government (and then against it) have been driven by relative power considerations seems to be borne out by events since the book's publication. Anyone interested in or responsible for policies aimed at resolving multi-party civil wars stands to gain from close consideration of Christia's argument.' H. R. McMaster, SurvivalTable of ContentsPart I. Context and Theory: 1. Literature and research design; 2. A theory of warring group alliances and fractionalization in multi-party civil wars; Part II. Afghanistan: 3. The Afghan Intra-Mujahedin War, 1992–8; 4. The Afghan Communist-Mujahedin War, 1978–89; 5. The theory at the commander level in Afghanistan, 1978–98; Part III. Bosnia and Herzegovina: 6. The Bosnian Civil War, 1992–5; 7. The Bosnian Civil War, 1941–5; Part IV. Further Extensions: 8. Quantitative testing on the universe of cases of multi-party civil wars.

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