Understanding the Political World

PART I. ON KNOWING THE POLITICAL WORLD

Chapter 1. Politics and Knowledge

PART II. POLITICAL BEHAVIOR

Chapter 2. Political Theory and Political Beliefs

Chapter 3. Political Actions

Chapter 4. Influences on Beliefs and Actions

PART III. POLITICAL SYSTEMS

Chapter 5. States and Nations

Chapter 6. Political Institutions I: Structures

Chapter 7. Political Institutions II: Institutional Arrangements

Chapter 8. Political Economy

PART IV. POLITICAL PROCESSES

Chapter 9. Public Policy, Power, and Decision

Chapter 10. Change and Political Development

Chapter 11. Politics Across Borders

Chapter 12. Political Violence

PART V. POLITICS AMONG STATES

Chapter 13. The Developed Countries

Chapter 14. The Developing Countries

Chapter 15. The Transitional Developed Countries

Appendix. Political Analysis

• Explores politics at every level from the individual person to the global system to reveal how politics influences every part of life. (ex. Ch. 2)
• Takes a comparative perspective to examine political theory, behavior, institutions, and processes around the world. (ex. Ch. 6)
• Emphasizes¿the discipline’s approaches and methods¿throughout the text¿to help students¿identify and analyze patterns in¿politics.¿ (ex. Ch. 1)
• Includes case studies on developed, developing, and transitional countries to discuss how states achieve prosperity, stability, and security in a complex international environment. (ex. p. 144)
• Combines¿current¿political examples,¿data, cartoons, and photos¿with a conversational writing style to¿encourage consideration of¿how well political science explains today's political world. (ex. p. 45)
• Includes the following features in every chapter to engage students and encourage critical thinking:
  • Chapter-opening anecdotes and photos draw readers into the major theme of the chapter by using an in-depth political example, such as Kurdish desire for an independent state (nation vs. state), Aung Sun Suu Kyi’s actions in Myanmar (political activism), the economic crisis in the context of Ireland (political economy), Hungary’s shift from communism to a democratic, market-based system (transitional countries), and more. (ex. p. 57)
  • “Compare” boxes explore specific questions by applying the methods of comparative analysis, including topics like the level of political participation in ten countries, the geopolitical analysis of Cuba and Taiwan, the extent to which various states are peaceful or conflict-oriented, and the cross-national analysis of political cultures. (ex. p. 288)
  • “Focus” boxes elaborate on core political science concepts and connect them to detailed country examples ranging from an examination of electoral politics in South Africa and political socialization in China to the evolution of women’s political rights in the United States and the impact of microcredit on Bangladesh’s development. (ex. p. 90)
  • “Debate” boxes pose important political questions for students to evaluate, such as whether communism is “dead”, whether political “science” is feasible, and whether there is a global clash of civilizations. (ex. p. 17)

James N. Danziger is Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Irvine, where he also has served as Chair of the Department of Political Science, campus-wide Dean of Undergraduate Education, Chair of the Academic Senate, and Associate Director of the Center for Research on Information Technology and Organizations. He is recipient of many honors and awards, including a Marshall Scholarship (to Great Britain), a Foreign Area Fellowship, Woodrow Wilson Fellowship, Phi Beta Kappa, and an IBM Faculty Award. He received the first UC Irvine Distinguished Faculty Lectureship Award for Teaching in 1987 and the UC Irvine Distinguished Service Award in 1997. His Ph.D. is from Stanford University, and he has held visiting appointments at the universities of Aarhus (Denmark), Pittsburgh, and Virginia. His research has received awards from the American Political Science Association and the American Society for Public Administration. He has published extensively, particularly on information technology and politics, and he is on the editorial board of the International Journal of Electronic Government Research. He has also been an active participant in local politics.

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