Focusing on the institutions of government and the political systems operating in liberal democratic states, this book will give you an understanding of the operations of these political systems, the key political themes and the differences that exist between them.

Table of Contents

• Credits
• Meet the author
• Only got a minute?
• Only got five minutes?
• 1 Key issues in the study of politics
• 2 Liberal democracy
• 3 Political ideologies
• 4 Elections and electoral systems
• 5 Parties and party systems
• 6 Pressure groups
• 7 The media
• 8 Constitutions
• 9 The executive branch of government
• 10 The bureaucracy
• 11 The legislative branch of government
• 12 The judiciary and law enforcement
• 13 Sub-national government
• 14 The nation state in the modern world
• Taking it further