Politics is about conflict, struggle, decision-making, power and influence. But not every conflict and not every situation in which power is exercised is widely regarded as politics. A football coach who decides to leave a player on the bench because he has given him a bit of lip, is exerting power, and there is conflict here, too. However, few people would consider this a political issue. The same applies to a mother who quarrels with her adolescent daughter about going to a house party, a schoolteacher who gives a student detention, and so on. But if we were to limit our understanding of politics to official decisions that are taken by governments, in parliaments or on municipal councils, we would fail to recognise the political meaning of trade unions, lobbyists, protest groups, corporations and other more-or-less organised groups that influence collective decision-making.
- Cover
- Table of Contents
- Foreword
- Part 1. Basic Themes in Political Science
- 1. Politics and Power / Wouter van der Brug and Eelke Heemskerk
- 2. Social and Political Inequality / Marcel Maussen and Armen Hakhverdian
- 3. Nations, Nationalism and the Nation State / Luuc Brans, Theresa Kuhn and Tom van der Meer
- 4. The Welfare State under Pressure / Franca van Hooren
- 5. Consensus Democracy in the Netherlands: Background and Future / Philip van Praag
- Part 2. Political Actors
- 6. Citizens and Politics: Political Participation and Political Trust / Tom van der Meer
- 7. Elections, Cleavages and Voting Behaviour: From Stability to Volatility / Wouter van der Brug, Philip van Praag and Cees van der Eijk
- 8. The Transformation of Political Parties / Gijs Schumacher
- 9. Interest Groups and Social Movements / Joost Berkhout and Marcel Hanegraaff
- 10. Politics and Media / Philip van Praag
- About the Authors
- Index
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