Leicht Kevin T., Jenkins J. Craig (Editors). Handbook of Politics: State and Society in Global Perspectives

Springer Science + Business Media, LLC. 2010. ISBN : 978-0-387-68929-
6. e-ISBN : 978-0-387-68930-
2. (656 pages). Series : Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research Series Editor: Howard B. Kaplan.
Theory in the Study of Politics - Political Change and Transformation - Methods in the Study of Politics.The study of politics and political phenomena is important for understanding a variety of questions that are at the core of social science research, theorizing, and policy analysis. This collection by top scholars of politics is designed to provide a broad overview of the substantive, theoretical and methodological state of political research while focusing on key areas that deserve fresh research and study by new generations of sociologists and political scientists.
The handbook is organized into three sections. Part 1 deals with Theory in the Study of
Politics, which privileges the discussion of theory and theoretical developments for understanding twenty-first century political activity. These contributions summarize the state of
development of most of the theories that have been used to explain political activity over the
past 30–40 years, from institutional theory to theories of class. Part 2 deals with Political
Change and Transformation, which focuses on specific institutional arrangements and political
strategies for influencing political decision-making around the world. These contributions cover the gambit of political arenas from terrorism, elections, and authoritarian regimes to economic inequality, development, criminal justice, and globalization. Part 3 deals with the state of methodology in the study of politics. This is one of the unique features of our collection that is underemphasized elsewhere. Here our authors survey the state of knowledge regarding different ways of studying politics from comparative-historical methodology and social networks to hierarchical models and time-series analysis.