Society & Politics

Life on earth will come to an end. It's just a matter of when. In this Very Short Introduction, Bill McGuire explores the many potential (read more)

Life on earth will come to an end. It's just a matter of when. In this Very Short Introduction, Bill McGuire explores the many potential catastrophes facing our planet and our species in the future, and looks at both the probability of these events happening and our chances of survival.

From the likely consequences of global warming to the inevitable destruction of the earth in the far future, McGuire considers a range of 'end of the world scenarios', including the New Ice Age, asteroid and comet impact, supervolcanoes, and mega-tsunami. Updated with a number of recent case studies from around the world, this new edition brings our understanding of global disasters and risk research up to date. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. (hide)

This anthology examines the unexplored consequences of globalization on the lives of women worldwide. In a world shaped by mass migration (read more)

This anthology examines the unexplored consequences of globalization on the lives of women worldwide. In a world shaped by mass migration and economic exchange on an ever-increasing scale, women are moving around the globe as never before. Every year, millions leave Mexico, Sri Lanka, the Philippines and Eastern Europe to work in the homes, nurseries and brothels of the First World - from Vietnamese mail-order brides to Mexican nannies in LA, from Thai girls in Vietnamese brothels to Czech au pairs in the UK.

In the new global calculus, the female energy that flows to wealthy countries to ease a "care deficit", is subtracted from poor ones, often to the detriment of the families left behind. Is the main resource now extracted from the Third World no longer gold or silver, but love? (hide)

The Globalization of World Politics is the bestselling introduction to international relations, offering the most comprehensive coverage (read more)

The Globalization of World Politics is the bestselling introduction to international relations, offering the most comprehensive coverage of the key theories and global issues in world politics. The seventh edition features several brand new chapters that reflect the very latest developments in the field, including those on Feminism, and Race, to ensure the book continues to cover those topics that will define the key issues in IR into the future. New pedagogical features help readers to evaluate key IR debates and apply theory and IR concepts to real world events.

Leading scholars in the field introduce readers to the history, theory, structures and key issues in IR, providing students with an ideal introduction and a constant guide throughout their studies. Students and lecturers are further supported by the following online resources : Student resources: IR simulations IR theory in practice case studies Video podcasts from the contributors Guidance on how to evaluate the opposing opinions feature Interactive library of links to journal articles, blogs and video content Flash card glossary Multiple choice questions Revision guide Instructor Resources: Case studies Test bank - a fully customisable resource containing ready-made assessments with which to test your students Question bank - a bank of short answer and essay questions for testing your students PowerPoint slides Figures and tables from the book (hide)

In this book (previously published as Crippled America), we're going to look at the state of the world right now. It's a terrible (read more)

In this book (previously published as Crippled America), we're going to look at the state of the world right now. It's a terrible mess, and that's putting it mildly. There has never been a more dangerous time.

The politicians and special interests in Washington, DC are directly responsible for the mess we are in. So why should we continue listening to them? It's time to bring America back to its rightful owners-the American people. I'm not going to play the same game politicians have been playing for decades-all talk, no action, while special interests and lobbyists dictate our laws.

I am shaking up the establishment on both sides of the political aisle because I can't be bought. I want to bring America back, to make it great and prosperous again, and to be sure we are respected by our allies and feared by our adversaries. It's time for action.

Pub Date:23/02/2017 (hide)

Making peace in Northern Ireland was the greatest success of the Blair government, and one of the greatest achievements in British (read more)

Making peace in Northern Ireland was the greatest success of the Blair government, and one of the greatest achievements in British politics since the Second World War. In Jonathan Powell's masterly account we learn just how close the talks leading to the Good Friday agreement came to collapse and how the parties finally reached a deal. Pithy, outspoken and precise, Powell, Tony Blair's chief of staff and chief negotiator, gives us that rarest of things, a true insider's account of politics at the highest level.

He demonstrates how the events in Northern Ireland have valuable lessons for those seeking to end conflict in other parts of the world and shows us how the process of making peace is sometimes messy and often blackly comic. (hide)

The discourse of 'green growth' has recently gained ground in environmental governance deliberations and policy proposals. It is (read more)

The discourse of 'green growth' has recently gained ground in environmental governance deliberations and policy proposals. It is presented as a fresh and innovative agenda centred on the deployment of engineering sophistication, managerial acumen and market mechanisms to redress the environmental and social derelictions of the existing development model.But the green growth project is deeply inadequate, whether assessed against criteria of social justice or the achievement of sustainable economic life upon a materially finite planet. This volume outlines three main lines of critique.

First, it traces the development of the green growth discourse qua ideology. It asks: what explains modern society's investment in it, why has it emerged as a master concept in the contemporary conjuncture, and what social forces does it serve? Second, it unpicks and explains the contradictions within a series of prominent green growth projects. Finally, it weighs up the merits and demerits of alternative strategies and policies, asking the vital question: 'if not green growth, then what?' (hide)

In the past decade, governments and corporations have become increasingly interested in measuring the way people feel: 'the Happiness (read more)

In the past decade, governments and corporations have become increasingly interested in measuring the way people feel: 'the Happiness index', 'Gross National Happiness', 'well-being' and positive psychology have come to dominate the way we live our lives. As a result, our emotions have become a new resource to be bought and sold. In a fascinating investigation combining history, science and ideas, William Davies shows how well-being influences all aspects of our lives: business, finance, marketing and smart technology.

This book will make you rethink everything from the way you work, the power of the 'Nudge', the ever-expanding definitions of depression, and the commercialization of your most private feelings. The Happiness Industry is a shocking and brilliantly argued warning about the new religion of the age: our emotions. (hide)

Happy City is the story of how the solutions to this century's problems lie in unlocking the secrets to great city living. This is (read more)

Happy City is the story of how the solutions to this century's problems lie in unlocking the secrets to great city living. This is going to be the century of the city. But what actually makes a good city? Why are some cities a joy to live in? As Charles Montgomery reveals, it's not how much money your neighbours earn, or how pleasant the climate is that makes the most difference.

Journeying to dozens of cities - from Atlanta to Bogota to Vancouver - he talks to the new champions of the happy city to explore the urban innovations already transforming people's lives. He meets the visionary Colombian mayor who turned some of the world's most dangerous roads into an urban cycling haven; the Danish architect who brought the lessons of medieval Tuscan towns to modern-day Copenhagen; and the New York City transport commissioner who turned the gridlock of Times Square into a place to lounge in the sun. Drawing on the lessons from their stories, from brain science, and from the fascinating realm of urban experimentation, Happy City offers solutions we can all use to improve our lives and shows that simple changes can make all the difference. (hide)

Heart of the Race is a powerful corrective to a version of Britain's history from which black women have long been excluded. It reclaims (read more)

Heart of the Race is a powerful corrective to a version of Britain's history from which black women have long been excluded. It reclaims and records black women's place in that history, documenting their day-to-day struggles, their experiences of education, work and health care, and the personal and political struggles they have waged to preserve a sense of identity and community. First published in 1985 and winner of the Martin Luther King Memorial Prize that year, Heart of the Race is a testimony to the collective experience of black women in Britain, and their relationship to the British state throughout its long history of slavery, empire and colonialism.

Published:24 Jul 2018 (hide)

The House of Commons is one of Britain's mysterious institutions: constantly in the news yet always opaque. In this ground-breaking (read more)

The House of Commons is one of Britain's mysterious institutions: constantly in the news yet always opaque. In this ground-breaking anthropological study of the world's most famous parliament, Emma Crewe reveals the hidden mechanisms of parliamentary democracy. Examining the work of Members of Parliament - including neglected areas such as constituencies and committees - this book provides unique insights into the actual lives and working relationships of parliamentarians.

'Why do the public loathe politicians but often love their own MP?' the author asks. The antagonistic facade of politics irritates the public who tend to be unaware that, backstage, democracy relies on MPs consulting, compromising and cooperating across political parties far more than is publicly admitted. As the book shows, this is only one of myriad contradictions in the labyrinths of power. (hide)