The seventh edition of this book covers the who, the what and the when of British political theory in the 20th century. The facts in this edition have been rechecked and updated to 1994, and it includes revised chapters on the economy and the public sector.
During the period from 1945 to 2005, Britain underwent two deep-seated institutional transformations when political elites successfully challenged the prevailing wisdom on how to govern the economy. Attlee and Thatcher were able to effectively implement most of their political platforms. During this period there were also two opportunities to challenge existing institutional arrangements. Heath's 'U-turn' in 1972 signalled his failure to implement the radical agenda promised upon election in 1970, whilst Tony Blair’s New Labour similarly failed to instigate a major break with the 'Thatcherite' settlement. Rather than simply retell the story of British economic policymaking since World War II, this book offers a theoretically informed version of events, which draws upon the literatures on institutional path dependence, economic constructivism and political economy to explain this puzzle. It will be of great interest to both researchers and postgraduates with an interest in British economic history and the fields of political economy and economic crisis more widely.
`This is an excellent text which charts a safe path for students through the minefield that is contemporary British party politics in a wonderfully efficient yet engaging way.'---Colin Hay, University Of Sheffield --
Politics in Scotland is an authoritative introduction to the contemporary political landscape in Scotland and an essential text for undergraduate and postgraduate students of Scottish Politics. Written by leading experts in the field, it is coherently organised to provide a clear and comprehensive overview of a range of themes in contemporary Scottish Politics. Key topics include: • Government and electoral behaviour. • Representation and political parties in Scotland. • Public policy and Scotland’s relationship with the rest of the world. • Scottish politics both in the run up to and after the 2014 referendum. • The Future of Scottish government and politics. This textbook will be essential reading for students of Scottish politics, British Politics, devolution, government and policy.
Steven Kettell analyzes the development of exchange rate policymaking from a Marxist perspective. He examines and provides a new means of understanding three key policymaking episodes in Britain - the return to the gold standard in 1925, membership of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism from 1990-1992 and the possibility of joining the Single European Currency. The alternative means of understanding these policy episodes provides a basis for making wider generalizations about the political economy of exchange rate policymaking.
This is the sixth edition of what has become the standard textbook on contemporary British political history since the end of World War II. This authoritative chronological survey discusses domestic policy and politics in particular, but also covers external and international relations. The new and improved edition of this important book brings the picture to the present by including the following additions: ʺ September 11th ʺ the Iraq war and after ʺ the election of Iain Duncan Smith DS and Michael Howard as leaders of the Conservative party ʺ the issue of immigration ʺ the new royal wedding ʺ the 2005 election ʺ the importance of China on the British stage. Britain since 1945 is essential reading for any student of contemporary British history and politics.