An original account of why individuals choose one party over another, and why elections are won or lost in Britain.

Affluence, Austerity and Electoral Change in Britain investigates the political economy of party support for British political parties since Tony Blair led New Labour to power in 1997. Using valence politics models of electoral choice and marshalling an unprecedented wealth of survey data collected in the British Election Study's monthly Continuous Monitoring Surveys, the authors trace forces affecting support for New Labour during its thirteen years in office. They then study how the recessionary economy has influenced the dynamics of party support since the Conservative–Liberal Democrat Coalition came to power in May 2010 and factors that shaped voting in Britain's May 2011 national referendum on changing the electoral system. Placing Britain in comparative perspective with cross-national survey data gathered in the midst of the worst recession since the 1930s, the authors investigate how the economic crisis has affected support for incumbent governments and democratic politics in over twenty European countries.

This revised and updated ninth edition of the bestselling textbook Politics UK is an indispensable introduction to British politics. It provides a thorough and accessible overview of the institutions and processes of British government, a good grounding in British political history and an incisive introduction to the issues and challenges facing Britain today, including the European referendum and Brexit. The ninth edition welcomes brand new material from seven new contributors to complement the rigorously updated and highly respected chapters retained from the previous edition. It delivers excellent coverage of contemporary events including a new chapter on Euro-scepticism and the European referendum, an assessment of the performance of Labour’s leadership, the trials and tribulations of the Liberal Democrats and UKIP, and the evolving devolution debate in Scotland, led by the Scottish Nationalist Party. Features of the new edition include: Britain in context boxes offering contrasting international perspectives on key themes in British politics A comprehensive ‘who’s who’ of politics in the form of Profile boxes featuring key political figures And another thing . . . pieces containing short articles written by distinguished commentators including Mark Garnett, Sir David Omand, Richard Wilkinson and Sir Simon Jenkins An epilogue analyzing the turbulent state of UK politics following the European referendum With chapters written by highly respected scholars in the field and contemporary articles on real-world politics from well-known political commentators, this textbook is an essential guide for all students of British politics.

The study of voting behaviour remains a vibrant sub-discipline of political science. The Handbook of Electoral Behaviour is an authoritative and wide ranging survey of this dynamic field, drawing together a team of the world′s leading scholars to provide a state-of-the-art review that sets the agenda for future study. Taking an interdisciplinary approach and focusing on a range of countries, the handbook is composed of eight parts. The first five cover the principal theoretical paradigms, establishing the state of the art in their conceptualisation and application, and followed by chapters on their specific challenges and innovative applications in contemporary voting studies. The remaining three parts explore elements of the voting process to understand their different effects on vote outcomes. The SAGE Handbook of Electoral Behaviour is an essential benchmark publication for advanced students, researchers and practitioners in the fields of politics, sociology, psychology and research methods.

The study of elections, voting behavior and public opinion are arguably among the most prominent and intensively researched sub-fields within Political Science. It is an evolving sub-field, both in terms of theoretical focus and in particular, technical developments and has made a considerable impact on popular understanding of the core components of liberal democracies in terms of electoral systems and outcomes, changes in public opinion and the aggregation of interests. This handbook details the key developments and state of the art research across elections, voting behavior and the public opinion by providing both an advanced overview of each core area and engaging in debate about the relative merits of differing approaches in a comprehensive and accessible way. Bringing geographical scope and depth, with comparative chapters that draw on material from across the globe, it will be a key reference point both for advanced level students and researchers developing knowledge and producing new material in these sub-fields and beyond. The Routledge Handbook of Elections, Voting Behavior and Public Opinion is an authoritative and key reference text for students, academics and researchers engaged in the study of electoral research, public opinion and voting behavior.

How do voters in Britain decide which party to vote for in elections? Have age and education replaced class as the social basis for voting? Are elections now ‘presidentialised’, with voters simply choosing between party leaders? What role do the media, new and old, play in all of this? The authors examine these and other questions in the fourth edition of this popular text. The core of the text is devoted to examining and explaining theories of party choice, including the debate about whether voters are driven more by issues and ideology or simply by which party and leader looks least likely to make a mess of things in office. The authors also devote separate chapters to turnout trends and patterns, the media, electoral systems, the geography of party support, and – new to this edition – referendums. Fully revised and with detailed analysis of the 2019 election and the electoral fallout of Brexit, the text incorporates the latest research on elections and voting behaviour, and includes analysis of recent trends and developments – such as the effect of digital media on electoral politics and where recent misfires leave the opinion polls.

Politics in Europe introduces students to the power of the EU and seven political systems—the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Russia, and Poland—while addressing key social and political issues including globalization, terrorism, immigration, gender, and religion. Packed with robust country descriptions from regional specialists, the Eighth Edition encourages critical thinking and meaningful cross-national comparisons.

This book brings together leading scholars to analyze political marketing in the context of the UK 2015 General Election. Election campaigns represent a time of intense marketing, including: the communication of party, party leader and candidate brands; the design and dissemination of key messages and policy proposals; identification of target voters; setting out strategies for the campaign; and translating strategies into specific communication tactics. Each chapter of this book has been specifically commissioned to focus on one of these aspects of the campaign (targeted campaigning, branding, core messages, advertising, media management, online campaigning and the campaign in the marginal seats). The collection offers insights into the most interesting and innovative aspects of the 2015 election campaign, determining how levels parties with differing resource approach elections and with what impacts, as well as what we can learn more broadly about marketing at general elections. The chapters are developed to make the topic accessible to non-scholars and to have real-world relevance.

Fully revised and updated third edition of a popular, established textbook, providing a definitive introduction to Britain's politics, political institutions and processes. Comprehensively re-worked and re-structured to better align with courses, this new edition places great emphasis on the changing context of British politics while addressing key themes such as the ongoing importance of gender and ethnicity to political and social life in Britain. Furthermore, the book's familiar authoritative style has been retained with a fresh look and revitalized pedagogical features to provide a complete learning package. The book is designed for courses on or related to British politics. Its accessible style and context-setting Part 1 will make it ideal for students new to the field (particularly those who haven't studied the subject at school level or international students), but its rigour will stimulate and engage more experienced students. New to this Edition: - Fully updated to cover the 2016 EU Referendum, the 2017 General Election and other key political developments - 'Politics in Action' videos with key academic experts and practitioners offer differing viewpoints on the political system - Expanded companion website featuring regular updates and additional pedagogic tools for students and lecturers alike, such as self-test quizzes, flashcards, timelines, a lecturer testbank and lecture slides - Vibrant and engaging full colour page design to help your students navigate the book's broad coverage