Politics 4th Edition by Andrew Heywood
ISBN-13: 9780230363380
Preface to the Fourth Edition
This book provides a comprehensive and up-to-date introduction to the study
of politics. It is designed to be of use to students taking courses in any field of the
discipline, as well as general readers with an interest in the subject.
The book has been substantially revised and restructured in its fourth edition
to take account of changes in the ever-evolving field of politics, but especially
those changes that have led to a growing interdependence between domestic,
international and global political developments. Instead of, as in earlier editions,
attempting to address the international dimension of politics substantially
through a single chapter, the current edition acknowledges the declining relevance
of the disciplinary divide between politics and international relations, and
of the domestic/international divide, upon which it is based. There are, therefore,
new chapters on issues such as political economy and globalization, multilevel
politics, security, and global governance and world order. A new final
chapter focuses on the increasingly pressing notion that politics is in crisis, and,
in the process, draws together themes that have been addressed at various points
in the book. The previous organization of the book into five central themes has
also been dropped, thereby acknowledging the arbitrary nature of such divisions
and the essentially holistic nature of political analysis. Nevertheless, the organization
of the book does follow an unfolding logic, and this is explained in ?Using
this book? on pp. xviii?xix. This fourth edition also contains several new features,
whose chief purpose is to encourage readers to develop critical awareness as well
as their own views. A ?Guide to the key features? can be found on pp. xx?xxi.
