BOOK
Edexcel GCE Politics AS and A-level Student Book and eBook
Graham Goodlad | Andrew Mitchell | Andrew Colclough | Ian Levinson | Samantha Laycock | Author
(2017)
Additional Information
Book Details
Abstract
Exam papers covered: Edexcel AS and A level Politics
First teaching: September 2017
First exams: Summer 2018
This Student Book with e-book is specifically designed for the Edexcel AS and A level Politics 2017 specifications, giving you comprehensive coverage of the qualification content and great support for the new assessments – in both print and digital formats.
- Covers the whole of the two-year A level course, and includes all three components of the course so you have everything you need in one book.
- Clearly explains all key terminology and includes support for the assessments in every unit, including exam-style questions and guidance with exam technique.
- Comes with an e-book to give you easy online access to the textbook content on the go.
Table of Contents
| Section Title | Page | Action | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front Cover | Front Cover | ||
| Contents | iii | ||
| Component 1: Part 1 UK Politics | 2 | ||
| Chapter 1: Democracy and Participation | 2 | ||
| 1.1: Current systems of representative and direct democracy | 2 | ||
| Features, similarities and differences | 2 | ||
| Advantages and disadvantages of direct democracy and representative democracy | 3 | ||
| The case for reform of the UK democratic system | 4 | ||
| 1.2: A wider franchise and debates over suffrage | 9 | ||
| Key milestones in the widening of the franchise | 9 | ||
| The work of the suffragists and suffragettes to extend the franchise | 10 | ||
| A case study of a current movement to extend the franchise: Votes at 16 | 12 | ||
| 1.3: Pressure groups and other influences | 13 | ||
| Pressure groups: how they exert influence | 13 | ||
| How pressure groups’ methods vary | 14 | ||
| Other collective organisations and groups | 17 | ||
| 1.4: Rights in context | 19 | ||
| Major milestones in the development of rights in the UK | 19 | ||
| Debates over the extent, limits and tensions within the UK’s rights-based culture | 20 | ||
| Chapter 2: Political Parties | 24 | ||
| 2.1: Political parties | 24 | ||
| The functions and features of political parties in the UK’s representative democracy | 24 | ||
| The funding of UK political parties | 26 | ||
| 2.2: Established political parties | 28 | ||
| The Conservative Party | 28 | ||
| The Labour Party | 33 | ||
| The Liberal Democrat Party | 37 | ||
| 2.3: Emerging and minor UK political parties | 41 | ||
| The importance of other parties in the UK | 41 | ||
| The ideas and policies of two minor parties: UKIP and the Green Party | 42 | ||
| 2.4: UK political parties in context | 44 | ||
| The development of a multi-party system | 44 | ||
| Various factors that affect party success | 46 | ||
| Chapter 3: Electoral Systems | 48 | ||
| 3.1: Different electoral systems | 48 | ||
| First past the post | 49 | ||
| The additional member system, single transferable vote and supplementary vote: their advantages and disadvantages | 53 | ||
| 3.2: Referendums and how they are used | 58 | ||
| How referendums have been used and their impact on UK political life since 1997 | 58 | ||
| The case for and against referendums in a representative democracy | 60 | ||
| 3.3: Electoral system analysis | 62 | ||
| Debates on why different electoral systems are used in the UK | 62 | ||
| The impact of the electoral system on the government or type of government appointed | 63 | ||
| The impact of different electoral systems on party representation and on voter choice | 65 | ||
| Chapter 4: Voting Behaviour and the Media | 67 | ||
| 4.1: Case studies of three key general elections | 67 | ||
| The elections, their results and the impact on parties and government | 67 | ||
| The factors that explain the outcome of these elections | 69 | ||
| Class-based voting and other influences on voting patterns | 73 | ||
| Gender, age, ethnicity and region as factors in influencing voting behaviour, turnout and trends | 76 | ||
| Analysis of the national voting behaviour patterns for the 1979, 1997 and 2010 elections | 78 | ||
| 4.2: The influence of the media | 80 | ||
| The role of the media in politics and its impact | 80 | ||
| Debates around bias and persuasion in the media | 83 | ||
| Component 1: Part 2 Core Political Ideas | 87 | ||
| Chapter 1: Conservatism | 87 | ||
| 1.1: Core ideas and principles | 87 | ||
| Pragmatism | 87 | ||
| Tradition | 88 | ||
| Human imperfection | 89 | ||
| Organic society or state | 89 | ||
| Paternalism | 91 | ||
| Libertarianism | 92 | ||
| 1.2: Differing views and tensions within conservatism | 94 | ||
| Traditional conservatism | 94 | ||
| One-nation conservatism | 95 | ||
| The New Right | 96 | ||
| Neo-liberalism | 97 | ||
| Neo-conservatism | 98 | ||
| 1.3: Conservative thinkers and ideas | 100 | ||
| Chapter 2: Liberalism | 106 | ||
| 2.1: Core ideas and principles | 106 | ||
| Individualism | 107 | ||
| Freedom or liberty | 107 | ||
| The state: a ‘necessary evil’ | 108 | ||
| Rationalism | 109 | ||
| Equality and social justice | 109 | ||
| Liberal democracy | 110 | ||
| 2.2: Differing views and tensions within liberalism | 112 | ||
| Different views of freedom | 112 | ||
| Different views of the state | 113 | ||
| Is modern liberalism a contradiction or a continuation of classical liberalism? | 115 | ||
| 2.3: Liberal thinkers and ideas | 117 | ||
| Chapter 3: Socialism | 123 | ||
| 3.1: Socialism: core ideas and principles | 123 | ||
| Collectivism | 123 | ||
| Common humanity | 125 | ||
| Equality | 126 | ||
| Social class | 128 | ||
| Workers’ control | 130 | ||
| 3.2: Differing views and tensions within socialism | 131 | ||
| Revolutionary socialism | 131 | ||
| Social democracy | 132 | ||
| Third way | 134 | ||
| 3.3: Socialist thinkers and their ideas | 137 | ||
| Component 2: Part 1 UK Government | 144 | ||
| Chapter 1: The Constitution | 144 | ||
| 1.1: The development, nature and sources of the UK constitution | 144 | ||
| The development of the constitution | 144 | ||
| The nature of the UK constitution | 146 | ||
| The twin pillars of the UK constitution: parliamentary sovereignty and the rule of law | 147 | ||
| The five main sources of the UK constitution | 148 | ||
| 1.2: How the constitution has changed since 1997 | 149 | ||
| Pressure for reform in the 1990s | 149 | ||
| Changes under Labour, 1997–2010 | 149 | ||
| Reforms under the coalition (2010–15) and the Conservative government since 2015 | 151 | ||
| 1.3: The role and powers of devolved bodies inthe UK | 153 | ||
| Devolution in England | 153 | ||
| Devolution in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland | 154 | ||
| Scottish parliament and government | 154 | ||
| Welsh Assembly and government | 156 | ||
| Northern Ireland Assembly and executive | 157 | ||
| 1.4: Debates on further reform | 158 | ||
| Devolution | 158 | ||
| Electoral reform | 159 | ||
| House of Lords reform | 159 | ||
| The Human Rights Act | 159 | ||
| Overview | 159 | ||
| To what extent should the constitutional reforms introduced since 1997 be taken further? | 160 | ||
| Chapter 2: Parliament | 163 | ||
| 2.1: The structure and role of the House of Commons and House of Lords | 163 | ||
| The selection of members | 163 | ||
| The main functions of parliament | 165 | ||
| 2.2: The comparative powers of the House of Commons and House of Lords | 168 | ||
| The exclusive powers of the House of Commons | 168 | ||
| The main powers of the House of Lords | 169 | ||
| Debates about the relative powers of the two houses | 169 | ||
| 2.3: The legislative process | 172 | ||
| The different stages a bill goes through to become law | 172 | ||
| 2.4: The ways in which parliament interacts with the executive | 174 | ||
| The role and significance of backbenchers | 174 | ||
| The work of select committees | 175 | ||
| The role and significance of the opposition | 177 | ||
| Ministerial questions and Prime Minister’s Questions | 178 | ||
| Chapter 3: Prime Minister and Executive | 181 | ||
| 3.1: The structure, role and powers of the executive | 181 | ||
| The structure of the executive | 181 | ||
| The main roles of the executive | 182 | ||
| The main powers of the executive | 183 | ||
| 3.2: The concept of ministerial responsibility | 185 | ||
| The concept of individual ministerial responsibility | 185 | ||
| The concept of collective ministerial responsibility | 187 | ||
| Exceptions to collective responsibility | 188 | ||
| 3.3: The prime minister and Cabinet | 190 | ||
| The power of the prime minister and Cabinet | 190 | ||
| The powers of the prime minister and the Cabinet to dictate events and policy | 195 | ||
| Chapter 4: Relations Between Institutions | 204 | ||
| 4.1: The Supreme Court and the legislative and policy-making processes | 204 | ||
| The role and composition of the Supreme Court | 204 | ||
| The key operating principles of the Supreme Court | 206 | ||
| The influence of the Supreme Court on the executive and parliament | 208 | ||
| 4.2: The relationship between the executive and parliament | 210 | ||
| The influence and effectiveness of parliament in holding the executive to account | 211 | ||
| The influence and effectiveness of the executive in attempting to exercise dominance over parliament | 212 | ||
| 4.3: The aims, role and impact of the European Union on UK government | 213 | ||
| Aims of the EU and how far have they been achieved | 213 | ||
| The role of the EU in policy-making | 218 | ||
| The impact of the EU on the UK | 219 | ||
| 4.4: The location of sovereignty in the UK political system | 221 | ||
| The distinction between legal sovereignty and political sovereignty | 221 | ||
| How far sovereignty has moved between different branches of government | 222 | ||
| Where sovereignty can now be said to lie in the UK | 223 | ||
| Component 2: Part 2 Non-Core Political Ideas | 225 | ||
| Chapter 1: Anarchism | 225 | ||
| 1.1: Core ideas and principles | 225 | ||
| Rejection of the state | 226 | ||
| Liberty | 229 | ||
| Anarchy is order | 230 | ||
| Economic freedom | 232 | ||
| Utopian | 233 | ||
| 1.2: Different types of anarchism | 235 | ||
| Collectivist anarchism | 235 | ||
| Individualist anarchism | 239 | ||
| 1.3: Anarchist thinkers and their ideas | 240 | ||
| Chapter 2: Ecologism | 246 | ||
| 2.1: Core ideas and principles | 246 | ||
| Ecology | 247 | ||
| Holism | 248 | ||
| Environmental ethics | 250 | ||
| Environmental consciousness | 251 | ||
| Post-materialism and anti-consumerism | 251 | ||
| Sustainability | 252 | ||
| 2.2: Different types of ecologism | 254 | ||
| Deep green | 254 | ||
| Shallow green | 256 | ||
| Social ecology | 258 | ||
| 2.3: Ecologist thinkers and their ideas | 261 | ||
| Chapter 3: Feminism | 267 | ||
| 3.1: Core ideas and principles | 267 | ||
| Sex and gender | 268 | ||
| Patriarchy | 268 | ||
| The personal is political | 270 | ||
| Equality feminism and difference feminism | 271 | ||
| Intersectionality | 273 | ||
| 3.2: Different types of feminism | 273 | ||
| Liberal feminism | 273 | ||
| Socialist feminism | 275 | ||
| Radical feminism | 276 | ||
| Post-modern feminism | 278 | ||
| 3.3: Feminist thinkers and their ideas | 280 | ||
| Chapter 4: Multiculturalism | 286 | ||
| 4.1: Core ideas and principles | 286 | ||
| Politics of recognition | 286 | ||
| Culture and identity | 288 | ||
| Minority rights | 290 | ||
| Diversity | 293 | ||
| 4.2: Different types of multiculturalism | 294 | ||
| Liberal multiculturalism | 294 | ||
| Pluralist multiculturalism | 296 | ||
| Cosmopolitan multiculturalism | 297 | ||
| The conservative criticism | 298 | ||
| 4.3: Multiculturalist thinkers and their ideas | 300 | ||
| Chapter 5: Nationalism | 304 | ||
| 5.1: Core ideas and principles | 304 | ||
| Nations | 304 | ||
| Self-determination | 305 | ||
| Nation-state | 307 | ||
| Culturalism | 308 | ||
| Racialism | 309 | ||
| Internationalism | 310 | ||
| 5.2: Different types of nationalism | 313 | ||
| Liberal nationalism | 314 | ||
| Conservative nationalism | 314 | ||
| Anti-colonial and post-colonial nationalism | 316 | ||
| Expansionist nationalism | 319 | ||
| 5.3: Nationalist thinkers and their ideas | 321 | ||
| Component 3: Part 1 Government and Politics of the USA | 326 | ||
| Chapter 1: US Constitution and Federalism | 326 | ||
| 1.1: The nature of the US Constitution | 326 | ||
| The constitutional framework | 326 | ||
| Codification and entrenchment | 327 | ||
| Vagueness | 328 | ||
| The amendment process | 330 | ||
| 1.2: The principles of the US Constitution and their effectiveness today | 333 | ||
| Federalism | 333 | ||
| Separation of powers | 334 | ||
| Checks and balances | 334 | ||
| Bipartisanship | 334 | ||
| Limited government | 336 | ||
| 1.3: The main characteristics of US federalism | 336 | ||
| The nature of the federal system of government | 336 | ||
| The relationship of the federal system of government with the states | 336 | ||
| 1.4: Interpretations and debates around the US Constitution and federalism | 338 | ||
| The extent of democracy within the Constitution | 338 | ||
| Strengths and weaknesses of the Constitution | 340 | ||
| The debates around the extent to which the US remains federal today | 342 | ||
| Chapter 2: Congress | 347 | ||
| 2.1: The structure of Congress | 347 | ||
| A bicameral institution | 347 | ||
| The election cycle | 348 | ||
| The distribution of power within Congress | 348 | ||
| 2.2: The functions of Congress | 350 | ||
| Representation | 350 | ||
| The legislative function | 354 | ||
| Oversight | 359 | ||
| 2.3: Interpretations and debates | 361 | ||
| The changing significance of parties in Congress | 361 | ||
| The changing powers of Congress | 364 | ||
| Congress and representation | 365 | ||
| Chapter 3: US Presidency | 369 | ||
| 3.1: Formal sources of presidential power as outlined in the US Constitution and their use | 369 | ||
| The role as the head of state | 369 | ||
| The role as the head of government | 370 | ||
| 3.2: Informal sources of presidential power and their use | 371 | ||
| The electoral mandate | 372 | ||
| Executive orders | 372 | ||
| National events | 373 | ||
| The Cabinet | 374 | ||
| Powers of persuasion including the nature/characteristics of each president | 375 | ||
| Executive Office of the President including the role of the National Security Council, Office of Management and Budget and the White House Office | 375 | ||
| 3.3: The presidency | 379 | ||
| Relationships between the presidency and Congress | 379 | ||
| Relationships between the presidency and the Supreme Court | 381 | ||
| Limitations on presidential power and why this varies | 381 | ||
| 3.4: Interpretations and debates of the US presidency | 383 | ||
| How effectively have presidents since 1992 achieved their aims? | 383 | ||
| The imperial presidency | 385 | ||
| The role and power of the president in foreign policy | 387 | ||
| Chapter 4: The Supreme Court and Civil Rights | 391 | ||
| 4.1: The nature and role of the Supreme Court | 391 | ||
| The US Constitution | 391 | ||
| The independence of the Court | 392 | ||
| The judicial review process | 393 | ||
| 4.2: The appointment process for the Supreme Court | 394 | ||
| The appointment process and its strengths and weaknesses | 394 | ||
| Factors influencing the president’s choice of nominee | 396 | ||
| The composition and ideological balance of the Court | 397 | ||
| 4.3: The Supreme Court and public policy | 399 | ||
| Significant public policy cases of the Roberts Court | 399 | ||
| The role of judicial activism and judicial restraint | 400 | ||
| 4.4: The protection of civil liberties and rights in the US today | 401 | ||
| Rights protected by Supreme Court rulings | 402 | ||
| The effectiveness of the Supreme Court in protecting rights | 403 | ||
| 4.5: Race and rights in contemporary US politics | 403 | ||
| The effectiveness and influence of racial rights campaigns | 404 | ||
| 4.6: Interpretations and debates of the US Supreme Court and civil rights | 407 | ||
| The extent of Supreme Court power | 407 | ||
| The political versus the judicial nature of the Supreme Court | 408 | ||
| Living Constitution ideology versus originalism | 410 | ||
| The protection of rights | 411 | ||
| Chapter 5: Democracy and Participation | 413 | ||
| 5.1: Electoral systems in the USA | 413 | ||
| Presidential elections and their significance | 413 | ||
| Campaign finance | 423 | ||
| 5.2: Key ideas and principles of the Democratic and Republican Parties | 425 | ||
| Social and moral issues | 425 | ||
| Economic policy | 426 | ||
| Provision of social welfare | 426 | ||
| Conflicts and tendencies | 427 | ||
| Coalition of supporters | 430 | ||
| 5.3: Interest groups in the USA | 432 | ||
| The significance of interest groups | 432 | ||
| Interest group tactics | 435 | ||
| Interest groups and democracy | 437 | ||
| 5.4: Interpretations and debates surrounding US democracy and participation | 440 | ||
| Chapter 6: Comparative Approaches | 442 | ||
| 6.1: Theoretical approaches | 442 | ||
| Rational | 442 | ||
| Cultural | 443 | ||
| Structural | 443 | ||
| 6.2: Constitutions | 444 | ||
| Similarities and differences | 444 | ||
| What are the significances of these differences? | 445 | ||
| 6.3: Legislatures: Congress and parliament | 449 | ||
| The powers, strengths and weaknesses of each of the Houses | 449 | ||
| Comparing Congress and parliament | 450 | ||
| 6.4: Executives | 453 | ||
| President and prime minister: five key constitutional differences | 453 | ||
| 6.5: Judiciary and civil rights | 458 | ||
| Independence of the UK and US judiciaries | 459 | ||
| Effectiveness of rights protection by the judiciary | 459 | ||
| The effectiveness of interest groups in the protection of civil rights | 460 | ||
| 6.6: Democracy and participation | 462 | ||
| Party systems | 462 | ||
| Party unity | 462 | ||
| The policy profiles of the main parties | 463 | ||
| Campaign finance and party funding | 465 | ||
| Pressure groups | 466 | ||
| Component 3: Part 2 Global Politics | 471 | ||
| Chapter 1: The State and Globalisation | 471 | ||
| 1.1: The state: nation states and national sovereignty | 471 | ||
| Characteristics of a nation state | 471 | ||
| Characteristics of national sovereignty | 476 | ||
| 1.2: Globalisation | 477 | ||
| The process of globalisation | 477 | ||
| 1.3: Debates about the impact of globalisation including its advantages and disadvantages | 485 | ||
| The impact of globalisation, and its implications for the nation state and national sovereignty | 485 | ||
| 1.4: Globalisation and contemporary issues | 486 | ||
| Poverty | 486 | ||
| Conflict | 487 | ||
| Human rights | 487 | ||
| The environment | 487 | ||
| Chapter 2: Global Governance: Political and Economic | 489 | ||
| 2.1: Political | 489 | ||
| The United Nations (UN) | 489 | ||
| North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) | 495 | ||
| 2.2: Economic | 499 | ||
| International Monetary Fund (IMF) | 499 | ||
| The World Bank | 501 | ||
| The World Trade Organization (WTO) and G7/G8 and G20 | 503 | ||
| Group of Seven/Eight (G7/G8) | 505 | ||
| Group of 20 (G20) | 507 | ||
| Significance of how global economic governance deals with the issue of poverty | 508 | ||
| 2.3: Addressing and resolving contemporary global issues | 510 | ||
| The role and significance of the global civil society and non-state actors | 515 | ||
| Chapter 3: Global Governance: Human Rights and Environmental | 517 | ||
| 3.1: Human rights | 517 | ||
| Origins and development of international law and institutions | 518 | ||
| The key issues of these institutions in dealing with human rights | 521 | ||
| 3.2: Environmental | 525 | ||
| The role and significance of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change | 525 | ||
| 3.3: Addressing and resolving contemporary global issues | 527 | ||
| Challenges to effective global environmental governance | 527 | ||
| The role of non-state actors in addressing and resolving environmental issues | 535 | ||
| Chapter 4: Power and Developments | 537 | ||
| 4.1: Different types of power | 537 | ||
| The use and effectiveness of types of power | 537 | ||
| 4.2: Differing significance of states in global affairs and how – and why – state power is classified | 541 | ||
| State power classifications | 541 | ||
| 4.3: Polarity | 543 | ||
| The implications of different polar structures | 543 | ||
| Consideration of changing nature of world order since 2000 | 545 | ||
| 4.4: Different systems of government | 551 | ||
| Democratic states | 551 | ||
| 4.5: Development and spread of liberal economies, the rule of law and democracy | 557 | ||
| 4.6: Impact of world order on conflict, poverty, human rights and the environment | 558 | ||
| Chapter 5: Regionalism and the EU | 560 | ||
| 5.1: Regionalism | 560 | ||
| Different forms of regionalism | 560 | ||
| Debates about and the reasons and significance of regionalism | 562 | ||
| 5.2: Development of regional organisations, excluding the EU | 566 | ||
| 5.3: Factors that have fostered European integration and the major developments through which this has occurred | 567 | ||
| Formation, role, objectives and development of the European Union (EU) | 567 | ||
| Establishment and powers of key EU institutions and the process of enlargement | 569 | ||
| Key treaties and agreements | 571 | ||
| Economic and monetary union | 571 | ||
| Debates about supranational versus intergovernmental approaches | 573 | ||
| 5.4: Significance of the EU as an international body/global actor, including the constraints and obstacles | 575 | ||
| The EU’s political, economic, structural and military influence in global politics | 575 | ||
| 5.5: The ways and extent to which regionalism addresses and resolves contemporary global issues | 576 | ||
| Chapter 6: Comparative Theories | 578 | ||
| 6.1: Main ideas of realism | 578 | ||
| States as key actors in global politics and the balance of power (state sovereignty) | 578 | ||
| 6.2: Main ideas of liberalism | 585 | ||
| The significance of morality and optimism on human nature | 586 | ||
| Possibility of harmony and balance | 587 | ||
| Complex interdependence | 588 | ||
| Likelihood of global governance | 590 | ||
| Impact and growth of international organisations | 590 | ||
| 6.3: Divisions between realism and liberalism | 593 | ||
| 6.4: Main ideas of the anarchical society and society of states theory | 593 | ||
| Acceptance that there is anarchy in the global system | 593 | ||
| States have an informal understanding that ensures a degree of co-operation | 594 | ||
| 6.5: The extent to which realism and liberalism explain recent developments in global politics | 595 | ||
| Glossary | 598 | ||
| Index | 604 | ||
| Back Cover | Back Cover |