Statskundskab

A proposal for countering the futility of neoliberal existence to build an egalitarian, sustainable, and hopeful future.If maximizing utility leads to the greatest happiness of the greatest number of people, as utilitarianism has always proposed, then why is it that as many of us currently maximize our utility--by working endlessly, undertaking further education and training, relentlessly marketing and selling ourselves--we are met with the steady worsening of collective social and economic conditions? In Futilitarianism, social and political theorist Neil Vallelly eloquently tells the story of how neoliberalism transformed the relationship between utility maximization and the common good. Drawing on a vast array of contemporary examples, from self-help literature and marketing jargon to political speeches and governmental responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, Vallelly coins several terms--including "the futilitarian condition," "homo futilitus," and "semio-futility"--to demonstrate that in the neoliberal decades, the practice of utility maximization traps us in useless and repetitive behaviors that foreclose the possibility of collective happiness. This urgent and provocative book chimes with the mood of the time by at once mapping the historical relationship between utilitarianism and capitalism, developing an original framework for understanding neoliberalism, and recounting the lived experience of uselessness in the early twenty-first century. At a time of epoch-defining disasters, from climate emergencies to deadly pandemics, countering the futility of neoliberal existence is essential to building an egalitarian, sustainable, and hopeful future.

The accumulated achievements of China since its revolution of 1949 are so great that they have now not only changed the world but must lead every socialist and progressive person to think about their relation to them. This is a situation only comparable to the way Russia''s 1917 revolution transformed the world.China, after its revolution, has achieved the greatest improvement in life of by far the largest proportion of humanity of any country in human history. China''s Great Road explains how China achieved this enormous step forward for humanity. The unequivocal answer the book gives is that socialism achieved this huge advance. It analyses this at numerous different levels. If the international left does not raise itself to understanding China''s successful socialist development then it is lagging in understanding one of the most enormous facts in human history. China''s Great Road both analyses China''s reality and shows how socialists in other countries can and should learn from China.

How governments can spur growth and innovation to solve their greatest challenges—from green energy to national security to building resilient health systems. Known around the world for challenging mainstream economics, economist Mariana Mazzucato believes that  “the public sector can and should be a co-creator of wealth that actively steers growth to meet its goals” (The Financial Times). In The Mission-Driven Economy, she calls on governments to create the economies we need today.  Mazzucato’s challenge leads off a debate on the revival of Industrial policy—roughly defined as deliberate government action to re(shape) the economy. Industrial policy has fallen out of favor in recent decades as economists defer to free markets to produce innovation and growth. Yet today thinkers across the political spectrum have begun expressing new interest in industrial policy as a way to address the most serious problems of our times: from national security and climate change, to the market’s underfunding of public goods, to sluggish economic growth and labor market dysfunction.  Together, contributors make a compelling case for industrial policy—what it is, and why we need it now. Addressing investment, innovation, supply chains, and growth, they offer a robust vision of a renewed industrial policy, and what it can offer the US economy in the face of climate change and a global pandemic. 

Researchers in the social sciences and beyond are dealing more and more with massive quantities of text data requiring analysis, from historical letters to the constant stream of content in social media. Traditional texts on statistical analysis have focused on numbers, but this book will provide a practical introduction to the quantitative analysis of textual data. Using up-to-date R methods, this book will take readers through the text analysis process, from text mining and pre-processing the text to final analysis. It includes two major case studies using historical and more contemporary text data to demonstrate the practical applications of these methods. Currently, there is no introductory how-to book on textual data analysis with R that is up-to-date and applicable across the social sciences. Code and a variety of additional resources are available on an accompanying website for the book.

A deeply reported exploration of Joe Biden as told through his extended family.

From the bestselling author of Nixonland and The Invisible Bridge comes the dramatic conclusion of how conservatism took control of American political power.Over two decades, Rick Perlstein has published three definitive works about the emerging dominance of conservatism in modern American politics. With the saga's final installment, he has delivered yet another stunning literary and historical achievement. In late 1976, Ronald Reagan was dismissed as a man without a political future: defeated in his nomination bid against a sitting president of his own party, blamed for President Gerald Ford's defeat, too old to make another run. His comeback was fueled by an extraordinary confluence: fundamentalist preachers and former segregationists reinventing themselves as militant crusaders against gay rights and feminism; business executives uniting against regulation in an era of economic decline; a cadre of secretive ';New Right' organizers deploying state-of-the-art technology, bending political norms to the breaking pointand Reagan's own unbending optimism, his ability to convey unshakable confidence in America as the world's ';shining city on a hill.' Meanwhile, a civil war broke out in the Democratic party. When President Jimmy Carter called Americans to a new ethic of austerity, Senator Ted Kennedy reacted with horror, challenging him for reelection. Carter's Oval Office tenure was further imperiled by the Iranian hostage crisis, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, near-catastrophe at a Pennsylvania nuclear plant, aviation accidents, serial killers on the loose, and endless gas lines. Backed by a reenergized conservative Republican base, Reagan ran on the campaign slogan ';Make America Great Again'and prevailed. Reaganland is the story of how that happened, tracing conservatives' cutthroat strategies to gain power and explaining why they endure four decades later.

What comes after neoliberalism?

A biography of Thomas Sowell, one of America's most influential conservative thinkers

As digital technology became integral to the capitalist market dystopia of the first decades of the 21st century, it refashioned both our ways of working and our ways of consuming, as well as our ways of communicating.

A watershed moment in transgender theory

Two modern classics in one volume.

The 6th edition of Andrew Heywood's best-selling undergraduate textbook provides a clear and accessible introduction to the political creeds and doctrines that have dominated and shaped politics around the world. The author offers a clear exposition both of the historical development of each ideology and of the impact it has had on contemporary political behaviour, movements, parties and governments. In recent years, political commentators have heralded a renaissance of popular political ideology, characterised by a resurgence of issues and political traditions that many had thought obsolete. This new edition is updated throughout to take account of these developments, broadening its appeal internationally. The book is particularly relevant for first and second year undergraduate teaching, and can be used to structure a whole course on political ideologies covering traditional ideologies (conservatism, socialism, liberalism, anarchism and fascism) as well as concepts which have developed into concrete ideologies more recently (multiculturalism, feminism and ecologism, amongst others). 

Pete Buttigieg demonstrates how a breakdown of trust has been central to our nation's current predicament-and how our future depends on finding ways to restore confidence in the American project, and in each other.

Toward a Feminist Ethics of Nonviolence brings together major feminist thinkers to debate Cavarero's call for a postural ethics of nonviolence and a sociality rooted in bodily interdependence.

"The best single-volume introduction to the political theory and history of republicanism ever written"--

A searing indictment of modern sexual politics.

Features a collection of essays, which explores questions such as the meaning of moral respect and the ways individuals relate to social collectives, together with issues like welfare reform, same-sex marriage, and drug treatment for pregnant women. This book draws upon ideas from both Anglo-American and Continental philosophers.

Sociologist Mike Savage shows how economic inequality aggravates cultural, social, and political conflicts, challenging the framework of liberal democracy. By fracturing social bonds, inequality turns back the clock, reviving conditions we have struggled for centuries to escape, including empire, dynastic elitism, and explosive ethnic division.

How can we turn back the tide of post-truth politics, fake news, and misinformation that is damaging our democracy? First, by empowering citizens to recognize and resist political lies and deceptions: Using cutting-edge neuroscience research, we show you the tricks post-truth politicians use to exploit our mental blindspots and cognitive biases. We then share with you strategies to protect yourself and others from these threats. Second, by addressing the damage caused by the spread of fake news on social media: We provide you with effective techniques for fighting digital misinformation. Third, by exerting pressure on politicians, media, and other public figures: Doing so involves creating new incentives for telling the truth, new penalties for lying, and new ways of communicating across the partisan divide. To put this plan into action requires the rise of a Pro-Truth Movement - a movement which has already begun, and is making a tangible impact. If you believe truth matters, and want to protect our democracy, please read this book, and join us. Dr. Gleb Tsipursky and Tim Ward have teamed up to help citizens learn to protect themselves from lies, and empower them to put truth back into politics.