Product Description: In 2016 the UK will vote on its continued membership of the European Union. The mechanism allowing this, the referendum, is little used and as a result little understood by the electorate. This book offers much needed clarity on the question...read more

Product Description: The most up-to-date, illuminating, and in-depth biography of Angela Merkel and how she rose to become Europe’s most important political figureAngela Merkel, the woman who has held control of the European Union and successfully negotiated with Russian President Vladimir Putin, is one of the most crucial and formidable fixtures in contemporary politics...read more

Product Description: Vernon Bogdanor - one of Britain's foremost constitutional experts who has written extensively on political and constitutional issues - once told The Guardian that he made 'a living of something that doesn't exist.' He also quipped that the British Constitution can be summed up in eight words: 'Whatever the Queen in Parliament decides is law...read more

Product Description: Vernon Bogdanor - one of Britain's foremost constitutional experts who has written extensively on political and constitutional issues - once told The Guardian, that he made "a living of something that doesn't exist." Bogdanor also quipped that the British Constitution can be summed up in seven words: "Whatever the Queen in Parliament decides is law...read more

We live in an age of democracy. Very few people challenge the virtues of 'government by the people', yet politicians and commentators are fond of decrying the 'crisis of democracy'. How do these views square up? This book provides the answer by surveying the philosophical history of democracy and its critics and by analysing empirical data about citizen participation in Britain and other developed democracies. In addition to analysis of major political thinkers like Plato, Machiavelli and J.S. Mill, the book analyses how modern technology has influenced democracy. Among the issues discussed in the book are why people vote and what determines their decisions, what prompts citizen involvement in riots and demonstrations, whether spin doctors and designer politics pose a threat to democracy and the influence of mass media on our political behaviour. More than merely providing an overview, the book also presents original analyses of timely issues such as referendums and the consequences of postal voting. An essential book for students of politics, history and media studies, this study puts the debate about democracy into perspective and offers a solid grounding for future discussions.