In praise of previous editions: "...brilliant introduction." - New Statesman and Society"From start to finish, Arblaster's book is stimulating and highly readable." - Times Higher Educational Supplement"...an ideal first book to place in the hands of a student embarking on the study of democracy."…
"This third edition of Hal Colebatch's book, Policy, is a welcome addition to the policy literature. Through as series of interrelated questions--such as Why worry about policy? What is it for? What does it look like on the ground? and How do we do it?--Colebatch interestingly unravels and elaborat…
Social theory is central to the disciplines of sociology, cultural studies, criminology and media studies. Many students, however, find it difficult to relate theory to their other courses, projects, dissertations and theses, let alone imagine themselves producing theory. In contrast to conventional…
Reviews of the First Edition:“thoughtful, critical, comprehensive, genuine… Byrne’s workshould prove compulsory reading for any critical and nuancedview of social exclusion.”Progress in Human Geography“The presentation of a single, coherent argument is one of the strengths of thisbook… […
What is social science?Does social scientific knowledge differ from other kinds of knowledge, such as the natural sciences and common sense?What is the relation between method and knowledge?This concise and accessible book provides a critical discussion and comprehensive overview of the major philos…
“brilliant… an impressive tour de force” Network*Why does collective memory matter?*How is social memory generated, maintained and reproduced?*How do we explain changes in the content and role of collective memory?Through a synthesis of old and new theories of social remembering, this book pro…
“This book will certainly prove to be a useful resource and reference point … a good addition to anyone’s bookshelf.” Network"This is a superb collection, expertly presented. The overall conception seems splendid, giving an excellent sense of the issues... The selection and length of the rea…
* What is the relevance of the concept of risk to social policy?* Has risk replaced need as the key organizing principle of welfare provision?* Do current trends support the contention that policy development is risk-based?Traditionally, need has been the major mechanism for allocating resources in …
Why did orientalism emerge and how has it evolved?Has the theory of orientalism developed by Edward Said and others stood the test of time?What is the significance of postmodernism for the future of orientalism?Orientalism, the theory and practice of representing 'the Orient' in European thought, is…
Of all the concepts used by sociologists for describing and explaining social relationships, social class is probably the most ambiguous, confusing and ill-defined. This is despite the fact that the development of sociology as an academic discipline has been intimately connected with class related i…