Comparative Politics

At a time when politics in Britain is experiencing unprecedented turmoil, this Very Short Introduction audiobook examines the past, present, and possible future of British politics. Tony Wright puts current events into a longer and larger perspective, ranging from political ideas to political institutions and offering an overview of the British political tradition.

Moral arguments have taken the place of empirical evidence. Virtue signaling has replaced constructive political discussion. Dumb Politics will teach us that you must never underestimate the ignorance of the masses.

A distinguished historian of Spain and Europe provides an enlightening account of the development of nationalist and separatist movements in contemporary Catalonia and Scotland.

From a warehouse in Manchester to a pub in Essex, from the outskirts of Glasgow to a racecourse in Durham, Jack Shenker uncovers the root causes of our current crisis and the future direction of British politics through the lives of ordinary individuals. Taking us deep into communities hollowed out by austerity and decades of economic disadvantage, among a generation crippled by precarious work and unaffordable housing, he shows where the chaos at Westminster ultimately springs from....

For the last two decades, Sidney Tarrow has explored "contentious politics" - disruptions of the settled political order caused by social movements. These disruptions range from strikes and street protests to riots and civil disobedience to revolution. In War, States, and Contention, Tarrow shows how such movements sometimes trigger, animate, and guide the course of war and how they sometimes rise during war and in war's wake to change regimes or even overthrow states.

Iconic images of medieval pilgrims, such as Chaucer's making their laborious way to Canterbury, conjure a distant time when faith was the only refuge of the ill and infirm and thousands traveled great distances to pray for healing. Why, then, in an age of advanced biotechnology and medicine, do millions still go on pilgrimages? Why do journeys to important religious shrines - such as Lourdes, Compostela, Fátima, and Medjugorje - constitute a major industry? In Miracle Cures, Robert A. Scott explores these provocative questions and finds that pilgrimage continues to offer answers for many.

Democratic Socialism: Somewhere Between Democracy and Tyranny is intended to be an expose of the evolution of socialist ideals, the implementation and subsequent failure of socialist governments generally at the hands of power-grabbing tyrants. However, when socialist programs are integrated with capitalism, some are, at least initially, successful in theory.

Dopo il populismo serve una nuova idea di cittadinanza per salvare le nostre democrazie, un patto sociale che prenda sul serio le domande sollevate dall'onda sovranista ma offra risposte più eque ed efficaci. La grande ondata populista che ha portato al successo di Donald Trump, alla Brexit e al governo Cinque Stelle-Lega si è esaurita: la pandemia ha confermato in modo drammatico i limiti dei populisti al potere e la loro incapacità di mantenere le promesse.

Where now are three circles which defined the United Kingdom’s position in the world - the special relationship with the USA, leadership of the Commonwealth, and membership of the European Union? What did membership of the European Union really mean and did Britain really understand what it had signed up to? The national narrative has gone and its destruction is hugely damaging to the institutions which embodied it. Whatever the outcome of Brexit, Britain will have to develop one new narrative from the three mainly fictitious circles of the past.

My war with the PIGS (Progressive Identity Groups): America has been divided by a disingenuous death cult known as Progressivism and its primary weapon: the Mob. The Progressives use aggressive identity politics to divide and conquer those they seek to rule over. They acquire power by convincing, coercing, or brainwashing individuals into renouncing personal liberty in favor of group rights. Entitlement replaces merit as a path to a better life. The sheeple are taught to seek answers from experts and to scapegoat those who don't adhere to the manufactured consensus.

When Chelsea Manning was arrested in May 2010 for leaking massive amounts of classified Army and diplomatic documents to WikiLeaks, she was almost immediately profiled by the mainstream press as a troubled person. Insurgent Truth argues for seeing Manning's example differently: as an act of what the book terms "outsider truth-telling." Bringing Manning's truth-telling into conversation with democratic, feminist, and queer theory, the book argues that outsider truth-tellers such as Manning tell or enact unsettling truths from a position of social illegibility.

An historical and hypothetical survey of revolution, civil war, and sedition. Tracing the causes of government overthrow from the beginning of humanity to 2019, this book has enough meat for the political scientist and political junkie alike yet easy-to-listen for the curious. Its contents will prompt further investigation or at least a good cynical knee-jerk.

In this presidential contest of diametric opposites, nothing is certain on the path to the polls - except that every word matters. Direct from the candidates, from point and counterpoint to wit and wisdom, an unvarnished conversation on the issues captivating the American electorate.

When historians want to find out about the ideas that motivated American foreign policy in the early years of the twenty-first century, they would do well to read this book. Robert Kagan has formally set out a case for unilateralism on the part of the United States, as opposed to the multilateralism now characteristic of Europe. Kagan believes that the United States can disregard a weak Europe, and have a free hand in pursuing its global interests.

Fierce independence and a leave-me-alone attitude define the modern Libertarian and party. This does not make for good politics, where coordination and national momentum is crucial. This book outlines a practical libertarianism that can coexist with the two other national parties. We can find a common, central philosophy that will capture the drive of an election-winning majority of "We the People".

El movimiento estudiantil del 68, nadie lo duda, cambió para siempre a México. Paco Ignacio Taibo II ha rescatado sus notas de entonces y las reflexiones que han venido después, para evitar que el tiempo desgaste el detalle de lo ocurrido y mantener viva la memoria de una generación con la voluntad de cambiar este país a través de la movilización social. En 68 Taibo II busca dar respuesta a algunas preguntas que, a más de cuatro décadas, rondan en la cabeza de quienes vivieron los sucesos, y de las generaciones posteriores que no quieren ignorar de dónde venimos.

Buddha or Karl Marx is a comparative study of the two philosophies Buddhism and Marxism. It concludes by presenting in plain English that Buddhism through changing man's disposition is a superior way to achieve and most importantly maintain a society sans suffering, greed and fostering Maitri (universal love and brotherhood).

Politics can be tricky, and things get even harder to understand when there are alternative facts involved. Alternative facts can turn things around for entire movements, make it hard to know whether or not you are getting the real truth, and compromise the integrity of someone when they believe in something. If you have ever heard an alternative fact before, you will know that they can be really negative and may even seem to be slightly absurd because of the way that people have chosen to use them.

The United States and China are locked in a “cold tech war", and the winner will end up dominating the 21st century. America can still catch up. Unfortunately, Americans, focused on other matters, are not meeting the challenges China presents. A whole-of-society mobilization will be necessary for the US to regain what it once had: control of cutting-edge technologies. Americans may not like the fact that they’re once again in a Cold War-type struggle, but they will either adjust to that reality or get left behind.

This audio guide to approaching life "in a better way" is based on a decade's worth of His Holiness' annual public lectures given in India. Specific themes range from religious tolerance to compassion and non-violence. More Dalai Lama.