Political Science

Comprehensively rewritten and updated to provide a concise but definitive introduction to British politics and government after more than five years of new Labour government. As well as according greater attention to the growing role of the European Union

Caribbean Political Thought: The Colonial State toCaribbean Internationalisms uncovers, collects and reflects on the wealth of political thought produced in the Caribbean region. It traces the political thought of the Caribbean from the debate between Bartolome de Las Casas and Gines de Sepulveda on the categorization of Native people in the New World, through the Haitian Revolution, to the immediate aftermath of the Second World War. The ideas of revolutionaries and intellectuals are counterposed with manifestos, constitutional excerpts and speeches to give a view of the range of political options, questions, and immense choices that have faced the region's people over the last 500 years. Includes Contributions from: Laurent Dubois and John D. Garrius Trevor Munroe Jean-Jacques Dessalines Aviva Chomsky, Barry Carr and Pamela Maria Smorkaloff Amy Jacques Garvey Dantes Bellegarde Jacques Roumain W. Burghart Turner and Joyce Moore Turner Fidel Castro Walter Rodney Maurice Bishop Sylvia Wynter Gordon Lewis Anthony Bogues Hilary Beckles Bechu Roy Augier David Scott Antenor Firmin Jose Marti J.J. Thomas Hubert Harrison Marcus Garvey Rhoda Reddock Pedro Albizu Campos George Padmore Suzanne Cesaire Aime Cesaire Claudia Jones Cheddi Jagan Lloyd Best Frantz Fanon C.L.R. James Che Guevara Lewis R. Gordon"

Employs an interpretative methodology and incorporates several case studies, including Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and St. Lucia
Fills a gap in the existing literature on Caribbean regional integration and Caribbean governance, by providing an comprehensive analysis of the role of non-state actors
Asserts that both regional and domestic decision-making mechanisms require renovation so that they can better respond to the needs of the people of the region

A case study of how a Caribbean nation may achieve political but not economic independence Tennyson S. D. Joseph builds upon current research on the anticolonial and nationalist experience in the Caribbean. He explores the impact of global transformation upon the independent experience of Saint Lucia and argues that the island's formal decolonization roughly coincided with the period of the rise of global neoliberalism hegemony. Consequently, the concept of "limited sovereignty" became the defining feature of Saint Lucia's understanding of the possibilities of independence. Central to the analysis is the tension between the role of the state as a facilitator of domestic aspirations on one hand and a facilitator of global capital on the other. Joseph examines six critical phases in the St. Lucian experience. The first is 1940 to 1970, when the early nationalist movement gradually occupied state power within a framework of limited self-government. The second period is 1970 to 1982 during which formal independence was attained and during which an attempt at socialist-oriented radical nationalism was pursued by the Saint Lucia Labor Party. The third distinctive period was the period of neoliberal hegemony, 1982-1990. The fourth period (1990-1997) witnessed a heightened process of neoliberal adjustment in global trade which destroyed the banana industry and transformed the domestic political economy. A later period (1997-2006) involved the SLP's return to political power, resulting in tensions between an earlier radicalism and a new and contradictory accommodation to global neoliberalism. The final period (2006-2010) coincides with the onset of a crisis in global neoliberalism during which a series of domestic conflicts reflected the contradictions of the dominant understanding of sovereignty in narrow, materialist terms at the expense of its wider antisystematic, progressive, and emancipator connotations. Tennyson S. D. Joseph, St. Peter, Barbados, is lecturer in political science at the University of the West Indies in Cave Hill, Barbados. He is the coeditor of At the Rainbow's Edge: Selected Speeches of Kenny D. Anthony and coauthor of General Elections and Voting in the English-Speaking Caribbean, 1992-2005.

Few developments have had broader consequences for the public sector than the introduction of the Internet and digital technology. In this book, Darrell West discusses how new technology is altering governmental performance, the political process, and democracy itself by improving government responsiveness and increasing information available to citizens.

Using multiple methods--case studies, content analysis of over 17,000 government Web sites, public and bureaucrat opinion survey data, an e-mail responsiveness test, budget data, and aggregate analysis--the author presents the most comprehensive study of electronic government ever undertaken. Among other topics, he looks at how much change has taken place in the public sector, what determines the speed and breadth of e-government adoption, and what the consequences of digital technology are for the public sector.

Written in a clear and analytical manner, this book outlines the variety of factors that have restricted the ability of policy makers to make effective use of new technology. Although digital government offers the potential for revolutionary change, social, political, and economic forces constrain the scope of transformation and prevent government officials from realizing the full benefits of interactive technology.

"General Elections and Voting in the English-Speaking Caribbean, 1992-2005 provides a historical description and analytical account of elections and election processes in the Commonwealth Caribbean in the six decades since the introduction of Universal Adult Suffrage in the region. The Book studies the first decade of the twenty-first century and includes countries like Anguilla, The Bahamas, Belize and Guyana whose electoral records have not previously been accessible in a single source for the purpose of historical and comparative analysis. However, the work goes further in updating the story of Caribbean elections, political parties and the overall democratic experience, the authors address new and emerging issues including Political Party Financing, Women and Electoral Politics, Caribbean Governance and the overall effectiveness and suitability of the Westminster Model for all the territories of the region. Comprehensive, up to date and current, General Elections and Voting in the English Speaking Caribbean is a valuable compendium of statistical data for political analysts and party officials as well as an indispensable text for students and others interested in the evolution, transformation and the prospect for Caribbean democracy into the twenty-first century and beyond. "

Although discussions about the global environment are now a daily occurrence--from companies touting energy-saving products to politicians debating how to best address the issue of climate change and other environmental concerns--it remains a topic plagued by misinformation and ideologically skewed arguments. For nearly twenty years, Global Environmental Politics has provided an up-to-date, accurate, and unbiased introduction to the world's most pressing environmental issues, and the fifth edition continues this tradition. Offering a comprehensive yet concise overview of the environment and international politics, this updated edition includes new material on the latest international environmental regimes, climate change, the environmental challenges of free trade and globalization, and the growing role of the environment in global security. It is vital reading for anyone wishing to understand the current state of the field and to make informed decisions about which policies might best safeguard our environment for the future.

Comment on first edition:'A most impressive book. Comprehensive in scope and clearly written, it is the most suitable text on United States government yet produced for non-American undergraduate students.' - Alan Ware Revised and updated with a new chapter on urban politics and full coverage of the Clinton administration, Government and Politics of the United States provides a broad-ranging, systematic and sophisticated introduction to the contemporary institutions and processes of government in the USA set in a clear historical context.

"The idea that the Caribbean could be devolving downward in wealth, function and sovereignty has become a recurrent theme in both academic and popular literature. By focusing on some of the current issues facing Caribbean nation states, the editors and contributors to this volume hope to inform and contribute to the ongoing debate on the broad themes of Sovereignty and Development and the prospects for survival of Caribbean nation states in a globalised world. While some of the papers seek to describe and analyse the range and complexity of the challenge to national sovereignty and public policy autonomy, others focus on issues relating to small country size, gender and ethnic tensions, security, constitutional reform and regional integration. The result is a balanced perspective; the contributors do not gloss over the problem faced by the region. At the same time they do not present a hyper-pessimistic picture of Caribbean development prospects. What gives the collection a particular dynamism is the way in which the authors have challenged the terrain of political possibilities traditionally defined for small peripheral socities. "

"The Commonwealth of Nations comprises 54 nations bound by a common thread of inherited democratic principles that have been deepened and expanded over time. In this work, author Carl Dundas, a key player in election observation, reviews the work of Commonwealth election observers and identifies some of the lessons to be learnt from the experiences of several observation missions. The period 1990 2000, covering 32 missions is examined and the collective experience of flawed election processes valued and weighed against the impact of local conditions to allow citizens the opportunity to exercise their franchise freely. Of particular interest is the commentary on the one-party, military or apartheid regimes that were transformed into multiparty democracies. The trials faced by the management bodies of transitional elections in creating a level playing field for the contesting political parties and keeping the election process transparent were significant and particularly challenging. Observing Elections is a special edition of the Integrationist and a useful text for anyone interested in development politics and Commonwealth studies. "