Theories and Concepts of Politics: An Introduction

This textbook provides social science students with an introduction to social and political theory. It asks the questions at the heart of contemporary political debate - why should the individual obey the law? Do people have a right to welfare? Is equality all feminists aim for? What does it mean to be Green? - and explains the meaning of the concepts that we use to answer them. Each chapter discusses a particular concept or theoretical issue. Topics covered include: freedom, citizenship and rights, social justice and equality, constitutionalism and democracy, political obligation, power, violence and revolution, feminism, environmentalism, international relations, and realism and welfare. Referring to current political debates to illustrate their argument, the authors show how people of different political or theoretical persuasions view each of these concepts or issues in often dramatically different (and frequently flawed) ways. They offer original solutions of their own as to how these interpretative disputes might be resolved.