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Leading international experts and aspiring researchers from the fields of political science and sociology use a range of case studies from North America, Europe and Australia to guide the reader through the complexities of this debate offering an unprecedented comparative examination of public opinion and immigration.

Provides an appraisal of gender pay equality, assessing advances and barriers to progress through a selection of national policy, institutional and labour market contexts.

This book examines the contested philosophical foundations of multiculturalism and its, often controversial, applications in the context of migrant societies. It also explores the current theoretical debates about the extent to which multiculturalism, and related conceptual constructs, can account for the various ethical challenges and policy dilemmas surrounding the management of cultural diversity in our contemporary societies. The authors consider common conceptual and empirical features from a transnational perspective through analysis of the case studies of Australia, Canada, Columbia, Germany, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Uruguay.

This book presents recent reforms in selected African parliaments ¿ Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Benin, Zambia, Ethiopia, Liberia and Nigeria. It also presents cross-cutting innovations by African parliaments ¿ in fighting corruption, in providing development to constituents and in combatting climate change.

This book explores the roles and visions foundations have of, and for, themselves in the new Europe.

Subnational political units are growing in influence in national and international affairs, drawing increasing scholarly attention to politics beyond national capitals. In this book, leading Russian and Western political scientists contribute to debates in comparative politics by examining Russia's subnational politics.

Written by leading women's movement scholars, this book applies the idea of social movement abeyance to differing national and international contexts. It compares the trajectories of women's movements in Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Consociational power-sharing is increasingly gaining ground, as a means for resolving political conflict in divided societies. This book presents a debate about the merits of the theory by focusing on one of the leading cases under the global spotlight: the Northern Ireland conflict. It is suitable for those interested in conflict resolution.

Examines the development of party politics in the region of Western Balkans, describing party politics and analyzing inter-ethnic or inter-party cooperation and competition.

Explores the problems in regulating the funding of political parties and election campaigns in a comparative framework. This book features case studies on in Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, United Kingdom and the United States.

A comprehensive regional study of women in the political executive power.

The Politics of Charity examines the contemporary political role played by charity, as legally defined, in the developed democratic nations. It considers how this has come about, why it is now significant, what it is that is integral to the content and role of `charity¿ that allows it to hold such a pivotal political position and why this would seem to be non-transferable to undemocratic nations. It also identifies and assesses the political relevance of different types of charitable activity.

Inspired by the work of Amartya Sen, whose influential hypothesis that democratic institutions together with a free press provide effective protection from famine, this title presents a study that combines qualitative and quantitative evidence to analyse the effect of democracy on famine prevention.

Explores the increasing importance of personality in leadership. It focuses on the relationship and psychological dimension between citizens and political leaders, with case studies on Britain and Northern Ireland, France, Italy, Poland, Japan and Thailand.

This book examines the development of party politics in the region of Western Balkans, describing party politics and analyzing inter-ethnic or inter-party cooperation and competition.

Examines and compares women in local government and features case studies on the US, UK, France, Germany, Spain, Finland, Uganda, China, Australia and New Zealand.

Examines the ways in which controversies and political, legal, and social struggles for gender equality in Asia and Europe, raise conceptual questions and challenge our thinking on political theories of equality, citizenship and human rights.

Examines the role of civil society organizations in several advanced European democracies: Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. This book focuses on how voluntary organizations contribute to civic and democratic health and assesses the impact of different organizational types on social capital.

Examines the impact of the EU on the quality of democracy in eight post-communist countries: Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, Ukraine and Armenia. Considering both the political and legal aspects, this title focuses on inter-institutional accountability.

This edited volume offers a critical discussion of the trade-offs between transparency and secrecy in the actual political practice of democratic states in Europe. As such, it answers to a growing need to systematically analyse the problem of secrecy in governance in this political and geographical context.

Presents a comparative assessment of social pacts between governments, labor unions and employer organizations in Western Europe. This title argues that governments' choice of social pacts or legislation is less influenced by economic problems, but is strongly influenced by electoral competition.

Examines why regional identities are stronger in some regions than in others, and discusses the underlying causes of the mobilization of sub-state regions in Western Europe.

Brings together research from the Global North and the Global South to illuminate how contemporary motherhood is changed by the processes of globalization.

Social structure may historically have been of primary importance in accounting for the attitudes and behavior of many citizens, but the changes in social structure have diminished the role played by class and religious affiliation. This book explores the role played by the personalisation of leadership.

Explores and presents the influence of contextual factors on the choice of electoral systems for parliamentary elections in both democracies and non-democracies around the world. This book provides the frequency of the adoption of electoral formulas and systems in the postwar era, followed by a theoretical elaboration of electoral system choice.

Deals with the reasons and consequences of the so called 'democratic deficit' in a systematic way that enables the reader to develop a well-rounded sense of the area and its main debates. This book is suitable for students of political science, sociology, cultural studies, and comparative politics.

Intends to explain the divergent political pathways of twenty six post-communist states, following the breakdown and eventual collapse of communism in 1989-1991. Considering the trajectories of individual states between 1990-2007, this book challenges two central bodies of theory relating to democratization and regime change.

Examines the international dimensions of democratization processes, showing the degree to which international actors have an influence on what were once thought of as domestic processes of political change. This book covers areas such as: Portugal and Spain in Europe in the 1970s; and, Eastern and Central Europe in the 1990s.

Compares and explores how social democratic governments had to adapt to globalization, European integration, and social change; and whether they successfully managed to uphold old social democratic goals and values in light of the devaluation of traditional policy instruments.