Social sciences

57 long form entries

The 2024 Almanac of American Politics marks the 51st edition for this political reference icon. The Almanac of American Politics continues to be the gold standard of accessible political information, relied on by everyone involved, invested, or interested in politics in the United States of America. Highly regarded for its in-depth analysis and comprehensive profiles of every congressional district, state, governor and member of Congress, The Almanac is the tool readers need to better understand the context of the people and perspectives shaping the issues that matter to readers. The 2024 edition includes:

• Brand new profiles of every member of Congress and every governor.

• New in-depth narrative descriptions of ALL 50 states and 435 House districts and how they have been changed by redistricting.

• New profiles of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris by Lou Peck.

• New essays featuring political analyses of co-author Charlie Cook and founding author Michael Barone.

• Analysis of the 2022 elections for Senate, House, and governor races, and how those results shape the public policy debates in Congress and the nation.

• A breakdown of the votes cast for President in 2020 for all states and districts (updated to account for new congressional districts), including primaries.

• Campaign finance data for all Senators and House members—plus their challengers--in the most recent election, including all-new listings of the “outside money” spent in those contests.

• Analysis of voter turnout in each state and new congressional districts for the 2020 presidential elections.

• More than 60 brand new state and congressional district maps, the key votes cast by members of the House and Senate, interest group ratings, and more.

• “Almanac Vote Ratings” on congressional members.

• Lists of Statewide Elected Officials.

• Updated voter registration data.

• Vital statistics on Congress data tables.

• Updated demographic information for every state and district, including information from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, with new categories of economic, occupational, social, and geographic data.

• Census data featuring updated veteran status data, healthcare data including the rate of insured vs. uninsured in each congressional district, and new public assistance data.

• Essential reference and contact information.

This critically acclaimed biographical dictionary of American economists offers in-depth biographies of the most important economic figures in American history from the seventeenth century to the present day. All of the major schools of American economic thought are represented, from the Constitutional school to the Keynesian school, and the dictionary includes in-depth coverage of the many overlooked women who have influenced economic thought in America. Individually, the entries capture important contributions to the development of economic thought in America; collectively, they encapsulate the rich diversity of that thought and the influences that have been at play on America economic thinking over four centuries. The Biographical Dictionary of American Economists is an essential reference source for anyone interested in the history of economics and American intellectual history.

Over 4,700 entries

The Benezit Dictionary of Asian Artists consists of more than 4,700 entries on Asian artists representing all regions of the continent, including the Middle East, and every era from antiquity to the present. The content is drawn from the most recent edition of the Benezit Dictionary of Artists (Editions Gründ, 2006), supplemented by fifty new entries on contemporary artists commissioned for this publication and over one hundred updated biographies.

Although most of the articles are on East Asian artists, primarily from China and Japan, the overall geographic and chronological scope is considerable, representing artists throughout the continent, and from ancient periods into the 21st century. This dictionary provides a compact, accessible collection of entries on Asian artists from ukiyo-e printmaker Hiroshige to Indian cubist painter Maqbool Fida Husain to Jin Dynasty painter Gu Kaizhi to Israeli artist Yaacov Agam. The artists specialize in a wide range of media, from calligraphy to performance art.

Entries provide concise narratives of artists’ careers, and many include bibliographies, exhibition histories, collection holdings, or auction records; additional entries are illustrated with images of artists’ signatures.

Over 3,200 entries

The Benezit Dictionary of British Graphic Artists and Illustrators features over three thousand entries on British artists, ranging from contemporary cartoonists to medieval manuscript illuminators. The majority of the content was chosen from the most recent edition of the Benezit Dictionary of Artists (Editions Gründ, 2006), with more than ninety revised entries and sixty new ones, primarily on 19th- and 20th-century artists.

This work provides a compact, accessible collection of entries on printmakers, poster artists, illustrators, cartoonists, calligraphers, and illuminators either native to or active in the United Kingdom from the Middle Ages to the present. The Dictionary is therefore an essential reference for the rich history of British printmaking—both fine art prints as well as works for mass print media—and artistic activities related to the production of manuscripts and printed books. Because of Benezit’s focus on European artists, particularly those active in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, this collection provides excellent coverage of these media during their most significant periods of development.

Entries provide concise narratives of artists’ careers, and many include bibliographies, exhibition histories, collection holdings, or auction records; over 200 entries feature images of artists’ signatures and monograms.

Over 130 entries

This publication, the first of its kind since 1898, represents the work of more than one hundred internationally recognized experts from nearly a dozen countries. It has been designed to satisfy the growing thirst of students, researchers, professionals, and general readers for knowledge about China. It makes the entire span of Chinese history manageable by introducing the reader to emperors, politicians, poets, writers, artists, scientists, explorers, and philosophers who have shaped and transformed China over the course of five thousand years. In 135 entries, ranging from 1,000 to 8,000 words and written by some of the world's leading China scholars, the Dictionary takes the reader from the important (even if possibly mythological) figures of ancient China to Communist leaders Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping. The in-depth essays provide rich historical context, and create a compelling narrative that weaves abstract concepts and disparate events into a coherent story. Cross-references between the articles show the connections between times, places, movements, events, and individuals.

The work features a range of appendices, including a timeline of key events, a pronunciation guide, a bibliography, lists of rulers and other prominent people, and other supplemental materials for students of Chinese history and culture.

Over 100 entries

The fourth volume of the Berkshire Dictionary of Chinese Biography covers the years 1979-2015, providing a riveting new way to understand twenty-first-century China and a personal look at the changes that have taken place since the Reform and Opening Up era started in 1979. One hundred key individuals from this period were selected by an international group of experts, and the stories were written by more than 70 authors in 14 countries. The authors map the paths taken by these individuals-some rocky, some meandering, some fateful-and in telling their stories give contemporary Chinese history a human face. The editors have included – with the advice of myriad experts around the world – not only the life stories of politicians and government officials, who play a crucial role in the development of the country, but the stories of cultural figures including film directors, activists, writers, and entrepreneurs from the mainland China, Hong Kong, and also from Taiwan.

The "Greater China" that comes through in this volume has diverse ideas and identities. It is often contradictory, sometimes fractious, and always full of creative human complexity. Some of the lives rendered here are heroic. Some are tragic, and many are inspirational. Some figures come in for trenchant criticism, and others are celebrated with a sense of wonder and awe. Like previous volumes of the Berkshire Dictionary of Chinese Biography, this volume includes a range of appendices, including a pronunciation guide, a bibliography, and a timeline of key events.

The work features a range of appendices, including a timeline of key events, a pronunciation guide, a bibliography, lists of rulers and other prominent people, and other supplemental materials for students of Chinese history and culture.

800 entries

With its coverage of environmental issues, global economics, online communications, and the latest political developments, this Encyclopedia is truly a 21st-century work. While including many articles about China's earliest history - going back more than 5,000 years - the Encyclopedia is focused on the events, concepts, and people that matter today. The authors of its 800 accessibly written and lavishly illustrated articles, which range from 600 to 6,000 words, are scholars at major Chinese and Western universities and research institutes.

887 entries

In this seminal work, experts from around the world provide authoritative coverage of the growing body of knowledge about ways to restore the planet. Focused on solutions, this interdisciplinary publication draws from the natural, physical, and social sciences to bring readers an unprecedented array of 887 articles from over 900 contributors from 53 countries on environmental law and ethics, green business practices, regional sustainability issues, and resource and ecosystem management.

There is no shortage of information about environmental problems and no dearth of people calling themselves experts on sustainability. In fact, there is all too much information, and strident voices with opposing claims and frightening predictions. This encyclopedia solves the problem of information overload with concise overviews from experts on an array of sustainability-related topics. The reader will find solid research data, thorough analyses, and jargon-free discussion, effectively transforming a fast-developing research domain.

300 entries

This renowned encyclopedia provides comprehensive coverage of the culture, history, and business of sports around the world. The third edition brings the study of sports into the 21st century by integrating Berkshire's past work on women's sports and extreme sports into a complete sporting library. It includes over 300 updated and new articles on sports management and marketing, branding, sponsorship, doping scandals, sporting goods, extreme and fantasy sports, and technology, as well as on environmental and economic issues. Every sport imaginable is covered, and articles focus on the history, evolution, and future of sports around the world, and offer readers a solid understanding of why sports are played the way they are and what they mean to society.

‘Provides a global approach to the world of the book and is, in every way, a monumental achievement’ – CHOICE

The Oxford Companion to the Book is a unique work of reference, covering the book, broadly conceived, throughout the world from ancient to modern times. It includes traditional subjects such as bibliography, palaeography, the history of printing, editorial theory and practice, textual criticism, book collecting, and libraries, but it also engages with newer disciplines such as the history of the book and the electronic book. It pays particular attention to how different societies shape books and how books shape societies.

The work includes a substantial series of introductory essays alongside an A-Z section of over 5,000 entries, all linked by thorough cross-referencing and served by a classified index of entries.

The essays provide histories of the subject ranging from writing systems, the ancient and the medieval book, through central aspects of book production, to editorial theory and textual criticism, the economics of print, and the sacred book, as well as 29 surveys of the history of the book around the world, including the Muslim world, Latin America, and Sub-Saharan Africa (these can be found under ‘Essay’).

The entries cover every aspect of this exceptionally rich and diverse subject, ranging from brief definitions and biographical entries to more extensive treatments. The text is illustrated throughout with reproductions, diagrams, and examples of various typographical features.

The Companion is the only reference book of its kind in the field, and has been written by 400 of the world’s best scholars in bibliography and book history.

This wide-ranging Dictionary brings together in-depth biography essays on over six hundred individuals. It also includes coverage of individuals who are not normally thought of as economists but who nonetheless made penetrating and original contributions, including writers such as H. G. Wells, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Henry Fielding and Charles Dickens; astronomers and mathematicians such as Isaac Newton, Edmund Halley and Isaac Barrow; the chess grandmaster Augustus Mongredien; the mountaineer Albert Mummery; the inventor of the machine gun, George Puckle; and many others from the fields of medicine, religion, politics, banking, science, agriculture and the East India Company employees. Writers on issues such as population, poverty, socialism, monetarism, finance and banking and many other fields are included, in one of the most comprehensive biographical surveys of the field yet undertaken.

Individually, the entries capture important and often overlooked contributions to the development of economic thought in Britain; collectively, they encapsulate the rich diversity of that thought and the influences that have been at play on British economic thinking over nine centuries.

Contributors are leading international scholars in economics and economic history and members of the editorial advisory board include Geoffrey Harcourt, Peter Groenewegen, Forrest Capie, Roger Backhouse, E.H. Lloyd, Noel Thompson, Tony Brewer, Geoffrey Gilbert, Keith Tribe, Leslie Clarkson, and Walter Eltis.

A comprehensive and accessible survey of the whole of Celtic mythology, legend, saga, and folklore. It covers the people, themes, concepts, places, and creatures of Celtic mythology, from both ancient and modern traditions, in 4,000 entries ranging from brief definitions to short essays.

Over 1,700 entries

Written by a leading team of political scientists, this dictionary embraces the multi-disciplinary spectrum of political theory including political thinkers, history, institutions, theories, and schools of thought, as well as notable current affairs that have shaped attitudes to politics.

Fully updated for its fourth edition, it has had its coverage of international relations heavily revised and expanded, reflected in its title change, and it includes a wealth of new material in areas such as international institutions, peace building, human security, security studies, global governance, and open economy politics.

The dictionary is international in its coverage and will prove invaluable to students and academics studying politics and related disciplines, as well as politicians, journalists, and the general reader seeking clarification of political terms.

This dictionary explores the history, meanings, and origin of place names around the world. It covers continents, countries, regions, islands, bays, capes, cities, towns, deserts, lakes, mountains, and rivers, giving the name in the local language as well as key historical facts associated with many place names.

The sixth edition includes final recognition of the name Myanmar in place of Burma. Some amendments reflect changes in spelling and romanization systems. Furthermore, official recognition is being given to the greater use of indigenous names.

In addition to the entries themselves, the dictionary includes a glossary of foreign word elements which appear in place names and their meaning, as well as a list of personalities and leaders who have influenced the naming of places around the world.

Over 3,900 entries

This best-selling dictionary contains entries on all aspects of accounting, including financial accounting, financial reporting, management accounting, taxation, auditing, corporate finance, and accounting bodies and institutions. Its international coverage includes important terms from the UK, US, Australia, India, and Asia-Pacific.

New entries reflect the latest developments in the accounting profession, e.g. Accounting Council, European Financial Stability Mechanism, and General Anti-Abuse Rule. Existing entries have been updated to cover the latest developments, most notably the Financial Reporting Standard Applicable in the UK and the Republic of Ireland, which sets out new rules in areas such as goodwill, hedge accounting, and fair value accounting. There is increased coverage of topics such as corporate governance, accounting ethics, accounting scandals, and major firms and professional bodies.

This dictionary is essential for students and professionals in accounting and finance, and an ideal source of reference for anyone seeking a clear guide to the often-confusing world of accountancy terms.

This collection of fascinating, mysterious, and revealing tales captures the immense sweep and diversity of African mythology. The stories touch on virtually every aspect of belief: gods and goddesses, epic heroes and divine tricksters, along with epics of the world's origins, the struggle between the human and the divine, and much more. Entries cover the entire continent, from the mouth of the Nile to the Cape of Good Hope.

Here, for example, is the tale of Abu Zayd (from the Bani Hilal of Tunisia), an epic hero who battles a jinni; and here too is a myth of how the moon and the toad created the first man and woman, from the Soko of Congo. Each story is told, and information provided about the respective belief system, the main characters, and related stories or variants.

This magnificent collection not only provides hundreds of fascinating myths, but also recaptures their cultural contexts, in which story and storyteller, tradition and performance, all merge.

Over 350 entries

This new dictionary provides clear and authoritative definitions of terms within the fast-growing field of African Politics. It includes coverage of elections, parties, judiciaries, popular protest, gender relations, the politics of development, and Africa’s international relations as well as major events and figures within African Politics. Entries range from Afrocentrism and the Bandung Conference to ‘Rhodes must fall’ and Sino–African relations and include key terms of particular relevance to Africa such as neopatrimonialism, queue voting, and post-conflict power-sharing. The dictionary also showcases the remarkably vibrant and insightful political language used in Africa, including a range of vernacular terms that are essential for a deep understanding of local political realities.

Written by a world-leading expert on the political science of Africa, this dictionary is an essential guide for both undergraduate and postgraduate students as well as academics, journalists, and researchers working on African politics.

Over 2,000 entries

This new dictionary covers both agriculture and land management, including animals and crops, farm machinery and systems, estate management, forestry and woodland, the environment, and rural recreation. It addresses the increasing overlap between agricultural sectors and the demands of the management of rural land and property.

Offering authoritative and up-to-date information on subjects ranging from soil management and renewable energy to land law, tourism, types of trees and crops, and organizations, policies, and legislation, it is an invaluable guide to agricultural terminology and a must-have for students of agriculture and land management, as well as for professionals in the agricultural and land-management sectors. Entries are complemented by illustrations and tables, including types of trees, crops, and soils, as well as of farm animals and diseases.

Meet the supreme Gautama Buddha, the elephant-headed Hindu god Ganesa, and Chang O, the Lunar Toad who is Chinese goddess of the Moon. Journey to the sacred Cambodian ruins of Angkor and golden Mount Meru, home of the Hindu gods. Discover myths like the Stone and the Banana and the Churning of the Ocean of Milk, and explore archetypal themes such as the hero quest, sacrifice, and descent to the underworld.

This dictionary features stories of revered deities, sacred places, key events and epics, with many recurring themes and traditions. Entries address the key mythologies of the regions we now call India, China, Tibet, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and Japan, and broad overviews of specific cultures and their mythic traditions round out the coverage.

“Another volume for every local historian's bookshelf” - Local Historian

This revised edition of the Dictionary of British Place-Names includes over 17,000 engaging and informative entries, tracing the development of the featured place-names from earliest times to the present day. Included place-names range from the familiar to the obscure, among them 'Beer', 'Findlater', 'Broadbottom', and 'Great Snoring'. The A to Z entries are complemented by a detailed introductory essay discussing the chronology and development of English, Irish, Welsh, and Scottish place-names, as well as an extensive bibliography, maps of Britain showing old and new boundaries, and a glossary of common elements in place-names.

Both accessible and up to date, this dictionary is an ideal companion for anybody travelling around the British Isles, as well as for researchers and students with an interest in toponomy, local history, cartography, and lexicography.

‘will help to demystify terms such as bear hugs, white/grey knights, cash-cows and churning … strongly recommended’ – TES

Over 7,000 entries

This wide-ranging and authoritative dictionary covers all areas of business and management, including marketing, organizational behaviour, business strategy, law, and taxation. Now in its sixth edition, it features recent developments such as social media and peer-to-peer lending, as well as the financial crisis and the subsequent sovereign debt crisis.

Existing entries have been updated, and over two hundred new entries added including bitcoin, Cog’s Ladder, mobile commerce, Six Sigma, social media, theory of institutional deficiencies, and zero-hours contract. There is expanded coverage of financial regulation and corporate social responsibility, including entries such as aw-shucks defence and Financial Conduct Authority.

The new edition of this bestselling dictionary elucidates modern financial and management jargon, defining entries in a clear, concise, and accessible manner. It remains essential for business students, teachers, and professionals, and useful for anyone needing a guide to business terminology.

Over 240 entries

Expanding on Oxford’s coverage of the topic in A Dictionary of Business and Management, this dictionary includes up-to-date coverage of China’s business policy, customs, financial sector, and managerial practices as well as treatment of regulations, laws, and regulatory bodies relating to Chinese business and management. It is fully cross-referenced and includes entries such as the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, guanxi, Tier One City, and decentralization. A useful list of entries by subject has also been included for easy access to definitions relating to a specific topic or module.

China is a key emerging market which has experienced significant economic development over recent decades, making this dictionary an essential resource for students, academics, and professionals engaging with international business, and requiring definitions specific to China.

Over 200 entries

This authoritative dictionary contains entries on all aspects of business and management in India, covering commercial vocabulary in broad terms. Topics such as finance, economics, management, culture, commercial law, and competition terms are covered, as well as key Indian commercial legislation and institutions.

Entries cover the unique business system of India in relation to international trade, foreign direct investment, and offshore sourcing. The dictionary complements other business and management titles, by defining more general terms within an Indian business context.

This is an essential work for students and practitioners of business who require knowledge of business in this emerging market.

Over 250 entries

This innovative dictionary provides authoritative and easy-to-understand A–Z definitions of terms encountered in the area of business and management in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Coverage includes key theoretical perspectives and concepts, events, companies, people, social customs, and sectors which have shaped and are shaping the development and structures of business and management in the region.

All nineteen countries in the World Bank definition of the MENA are covered, comprising Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Israel, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen, with entries such as wasta, business–state relationship, Saudi Aramco, qarar, majlis, and the al-Saud family.

This is an invaluable resource for students, academics, and professionals engaging with international business, with a specific interest in the Middle East and North Africa.

Over 650 entries

This accessible new dictionary provides clear and authoritative definitions of terms, approaches, and techniques in the area of business research methods. It covers research philosophies including research design and qualitative and quantitative methods, types of data and data collection techniques, and organizing and reporting research finding. It is an invaluable resource for students, academics, and professionals learning about research methods as part of a business degree, and undertaking research in many fields including sociology, psychology, and marketing.

Covering thousands of years of intricate creation tales, A Dictionary of Creation Myths is the first and most comprehensive work devoted to creation myths from cultures throughout the world. With an easy-to-use A-Z format, this around-the-world tour provides quick access to information on the beliefs (both exotic and ordinary) of ancient civilizations from Sumeria and Babylonia to Egypt, Greece, and ancient Rome, from India and China to Japan and Indonesia, as well as the rich mythological history of Native Americans, the indigenous peoples of Australia, and many other cultures. We read of the creation myth of the Diegueno tribe of southern California in which the creator, Tu-chai-pai, made the earth female and the sky male and then formed mud into people; the Norse creation story of the gods Odin, Vili, and Ve, who made man and woman out of two fallen trees–Odin breathed life into the new pair, Vili's gift to them was intelligence, and Ve gave the gifts of sight and hearing; and the myth of Japanese creation in which Izanagei, and his sister Izanami, watch the first land form from ocean water dripping from Izanagi's spear. Alongside these ancient beliefs are the more modern, such as Darwin's theory of evolution and the big bang theory.

Each entry identifies the culture associated with the myth, and each myth is retold in clear, eloquent prose, with extensive cross-referencing to guide readers to other entries. Throughout, the authors share insightful analyses of the surprisingly intricate relationship of certain myths across cultures, regions, and time. A Dictionary of Creation Myths is essential for anyone who has ever wondered how the world was created, where we came from, or why we are here at all.

Over 750 entries

The most authoritative and up-to-date dictionary of critical theory available, covering the Frankfurt school, cultural materialism, cultural studies, gender studies, film studies, literary theory, hermeneutics, historical materialism, Internet studies, and sociopolitical critical theory. It explains complex theoretical discourses, such as Marxism, psychoanalysis, structuralism, deconstruction, and postmodernism clearly and provides biographies of figures who have influenced the discipline, such as Deleuze and Foucault.

This new edition has been updated to extend coverage of diaspora, race, and postcolonial theory, and of queer and sexuality studies, ensuring that it remains invaluable for students of literary and cultural studies and anyone studying a humanities subject requiring a knowledge of theory.

Over 400 entries

This new dictionary provides concise, authoritative definitions for a range of concepts relating to cultural anthropology, as well as important findings and intellectual figures in the field. Entries include adaptation, kinship, scientific racism, and writing culture, providing its readers with a wide-ranging overview of the subject.

This accessibly written and engaging text presents anthropology as a dynamic and lively field of enquiry. Complemented by a global list of anthropological organizations, more than 15 figures and tables to illustrate the entries, and weblinks pointing to useful external sources, this is an essential text for undergraduates studying anthropology, and also serves those studying allied subjects such as politics, economics, geography, sociology, and gender studies.

Over 200 entries

This new dictionary provides definitions of terms covering disaster research and management. It features practical terms, key concepts in disaster research from a social science perspective, and key organizations involved in disaster management, allowing readers to access definitions on the most important topics within this developing field.

Terms include famine, disaster diplomacy, event-tree analysis, and humanitarian principles. Some are short and concise, while others elaborate on the history and diversity of complex concepts such as resilience or climate change. Illustrations and weblinks offer additional context and resources.

This work focuses on the practical managerial dimension of disaster management and covers terms that a student of disaster management will need to understand. It is an essential reference source for students and professionals in this area.

Over 450 entries

The Dictionary of Early American Philosophers, which contains over 450 entries by nearly 300 authors, provides an account of philosophical thought in the United States and Canada between 1600 and 1860. The label of "philosopher" has been broadly applied in this Dictionary to intellectuals who have made philosophical contributions regardless of academic career or professional title. Most figures were not academic philosophers, as few such positions existed then, but they did work on philosophical issues and explored philosophical questions involved in such fields as pedagogy, rhetoric, the arts, history, politics, economics, sociology, psychology, medicine, anthropology, religion, metaphysics, and the natural sciences.

Each entry begins with biographical and career information, and continues with a discussion of the subject's writings, teaching, and thought. A cross-referencing system refers the reader to other entries. The concluding bibliography lists significant publications by the subject, posthumous editions and collected works, and further reading about the subject.

Over 6,500 entries

Written in a clear, accessible style, this authoritative and wide-ranging dictionary contains entries on all aspects of ecology and related environmental scientific disciplines such as biogeography, genetics, soil science, geomorphology, atmospheric science, and oceanography. Entries cover topics such as plant and animal physiology, animal behaviour, pollution, conservation, habitat management, population, evolution, environmental pollution, climatology, and meteorology. It also includes many line drawings and useful appendices.

Fully revised, updated, and expanded, with over 300 new entries that include beach replenishment, delta method, urban heat island, and zonal soils, this new edition is invaluable to students of ecology, biology, and environmental and conservation studies, and professionals in related areas, as well as the general reader with an interest in the natural world.

Over 3,500 entries

This authoritative and comprehensive dictionary contains clear, concise definitions of key economic terms. Covering all aspects of economics including economic theory and policy, applied microeconomics and macroeconomics, labour economics, public economics and public finance, monetary economics, and environmental economics, this is the essential reference work in this area.

Entries are supplemented by entry-level web links, and useful appendices include a list of institutional acronyms and their affiliated websites, a list of Nobel prize-winners in economics, the Greek alphabet, and a list of relevant websites.

This dictionary is an essential guide for students and teachers of economics, business, and finance, as well as for professional economists and anyone who has to deal with economic data.

Over 1,000 entries

Education is of relevance to everyone but it involves a specialized vocabulary and terminology which may be opaque or unfamiliar to those new to the field. This UK-focused dictionary provides clear and concise definitions for the terms that anyone studying education or working in the field is likely to encounter – from A* to zero tolerance. Coverage includes all sectors of education: pre-school, primary, secondary, further and higher education, special needs, adult and continuing education, and work-based learning. It also includes major legislation, key figures and organizations, and national curriculum and assessment terminology.

The second edition covers the reforms to the schools examinations system and teacher training in England and Wales, and more detailed entries for terms relating to disability and inclusive practice, such as autistic spectrum disorder, attention deficit, and dyslexia, and to professional development, such as mentoring.

Supplementary material includes a timeline of landmark educational legislation since 1945 and a glossary of acronyms. In addition, there is a table of comparative terms used in the US, Canada, Australia, and South Africa. This concise yet authoritative dictionary is essential for all students of education, teachers, and lecturers on development programmes, and it is strongly recommended for governors, classroom assistants, and parents.

Over 5,500 entries

The sixth edition of this bestselling dictionary has been fully revised and updated to take into account the ever-developing financial landscape of the last five years. This comprehensive A–Z defines terms from all aspects of personal and international finance, including money markets, private investments and borrowing, central banking, foreign exchanges, monetary policy, and public and government finance. Now with expanded international coverage to reflect the ongoing globalization of financial markets and rapidly developing areas in finance and banking, with new entries such as village banking, Islamic Development Bank, and revolving loan fund.

With clear and accessible definitions, this jargon-free dictionary is a companion volume to the other financial titles in this bestselling series—A Dictionary of Business and Management, A Dictionary of Accounting, and A Dictionary of Economics—and provides accurate and valuable information for students, practitioners, private investors, and readers of the financial pages alike.

Over 250 entries

This new dictionary gives a concise overview of key words used in the study and understanding of gangs. Broad in scope, it covers colloquialisms used in gang culture and sociological and criminological terms in relation to gangs, including social disorganization and social learning, as well as general academic concepts which apply to gangs, such as Critical Race Theory, acculturation, moral panic, and identity.

With entries on gangs both inside and outside of the United States and theories of key gang researchers, it is a useful resource for students, academics, and researchers studying criminology or law, or those who work in some capacity with gangs.

Over 430 entries

This new dictionary provides clear and accessible definitions of a range of terms from within the fast-developing field of Gender Studies. It covers terms which have emerged out of Gender Studies, such as cyber feminism, the double burden, and the male gaze, and gender-focused definitions of more general terms, such as housework, intersectionality, and trolling. It also covers major feminist figures, including Hélène Cixous, bell hooks, and Mary Wollstonecraft, as well as groups and movements from Votes for Women to Reclaim the Night. It is an invaluable reference resource for students taking Gender Studies courses at undergraduate or postgraduate level, and for those applying a gender perspective within other subject areas.

Over 3,000 entries

This bestselling dictionary contains entries on both physical and human geography, covering topics such as cartography, surveying, meteorology, climatology, ecology, population, industry, and development. Over 70 diagrams complement the text, and many entries include worked examples. This edition has been fully revised and updated, and includes useful web links which can be accessed on the dedicated companion website.

This A–Z reference is clear, concise, and authoritative, and is an essential companion for all students and teachers of geography.

Over 2,000 entries

This essential A–Z provides an in-depth guide to all aspects of human geography, including cultural, social, developmental, economic, political, and health geography. It offers clear and accessible entries ranging from acronyms, organizations, and basic terms to biographies, concepts, and major periods and schools in the history of human geography.

Up-to-date, accurate, and accessible, it is a reliable reference for students of human geography and ancillary subjects, for researchers and professionals in the field, and for interested generalists.

It also includes recommended, and regularly updated, entry-level web links.

Nearly 2,000 entries

This authoritative dictionary contains succinct, expert definitions that are used in the fields of Human Resource Management and Employment Relations. It covers all areas of Human Resource Management, including recruitment and selection, training and development, performance management, reward, industrial relations, and the design of work and organizations. Theoretical terms and concepts are clearly explained and the main institutions, legal terms, and public policies that are relevant to Human Resource Management are all defined.

This new edition of the dictionary has been thoroughly revised and updated to take into account the latest developments in areas such as the gig economy, talent management, international Human Resource Management, critical management studies, and employee engagement. This is a vital companion for students and practitioners in the fields of Human Resource Management and Employment Relations and is an essential resource for anyone studying or working in this important area of management practice.

Over 2,100 entries

An accessible and wide-ranging A–Z, providing over 2,100 entries on topics spanning terms for traditional marketing techniques (from strategy, positioning, segmentation, and branding, to all aspects of marketing planning, research, and analysis), as well as leading marketing theories and concepts. Both classic and modern marketing techniques are covered. Entries reflect modern changes in marketing practice, including the use of digital and multimedia, the impact of the World Wide Web on advertising, and the increased influence of social media and search engines on advertising and the rise of global brand management. This new edition includes more global content, with the appendices incorporating a greater number of examples of iconic international brands, and more non-Western case studies. Overall it is an indispensable resource for students of marketing and related disciplines, as well as a practical guide for professional practitioners and people with a general interest in marketing.

Over 300 entries

This accessible dictionary provides authoritative definitions of terms in the field of organizational behaviour. Coverage spans ethics, stress and well-being, teamwork, leadership, and management knowledge. Including entries on key terms such as actor-network theory, iron cage, organizational space, and work–life balance, the dictionary encapsulates the different perspectives and concepts that make up organizational behaviour in one easy-to-use resource.

With additional features including a guide to further reading and recommended websites, it will be an invaluable resource for students, lecturers, and business professionals, and serve as a useful supplement to the dictionaries of Business and Management, Human Resource Management, Marketing, and Psychology.

Over 870 entries

Compiled by an expert team of contributors, this dictionary covers all the major figures in world politics of the twentieth century. Authoritative and wide-ranging, it describes and assesses the lives of around 870 men and women who have shaped political events across the world.

Each entry includes an account of the background, career, and achievements of the individual concerned, balancing fact with critical appraisal.

This second online edition, commissioned especially for Oxford Reference, contains many new entries, and the whole text has been thoroughly revised and updated. The cross-references given in the entries are linked only to other entries within the Dictionary of Political Biography. For individuals for whom a cross-reference is not given, use the search facilities within Oxford Reference Online to find more information.

Over 230 entries

This new dictionary defines critical terms relating to China’s politics since 1949. It comprises succinct definitions covering core political structures, ideologies, and practices, as well as individuals, groups, and concerns that are essential to them.

Covering the full spectrum of Chinese politics, authoritative and up-to-date entries include charm offensive, cybersecurity, hukou system, Silk Road, and United Nations Peacekeeping Operations.

Complete with useful weblinks, this new addition to the Oxford Quick Reference series is an indispensable companion for students studying Asian and international politics, as well as for professionals whose interests relate to China’s expanding domestic and foreign politics.

Over 280 entries

This new dictionary covers India’s core political structures, ideologies, and practices, as well as individuals, groups, and concerns that are essential to them.

The entries cover a diverse range of subjects, from caste, the Gujral Doctrine, and the Indian diaspora to the Partition of India and the Shah Bano controversy. The dictionary captures the richness of India’s politics, as well as its foremost ideas and principles, explaining and interrogating important historical events and social concerns.

Complete with useful web links, this new addition to the Oxford Quick Reference series is an indispensable companion for students studying Asian and international politics, as well as for professionals whose interests relate to India’s expanding domestic and foreign politics.

Over 300 entries

This dictionary provides a useful overview of the wide array of political structures and systems that comprise the contemporary Middle East. From Turkey through Iraq and Iran, to the Arabian Peninsula and the states of North Africa, it includes up-to-date definitions of political organizations, key political figures, and important developments, as well as region-specific concepts such as Majlis, academic terms such as rentier state theory, and events such as the Arab Spring.

It is an essential reference resource for students taking courses or modules in politics in the Middle East or broader subject areas such as politics, history, economics, and international relations with a specific focus on Middle Eastern politics.

Over 400 entries

This new dictionary offers succinct, clear, expert explanations of key terms from both method and methodology in social research. It covers the whole range of qualitative, quantitative, and other methods, and it ranges from practical techniques like correlation up to methodological approaches such as ethnography. This wide-ranging approach enables it to cover terms needed by every social science discipline along with business and management, education, health, and other areas that encompass social research within their remit. This is an invaluable resource for students, academics, and professional researchers who undertake social research, or need to evaluate and present its results.

Over 1,700 entries

The new edition of this dictionary has been fully revised to provide up-to-date definitions of terms from the field of social care, concentrating on social work as a significant area within this field. Covering social work theories, methods, policies, organizations, and statutes, as well as key terms from interdisciplinary topics such as health and education, this is the most up-to-date dictionary of its kind available. It also provides extended entries on specialisms such as children and families, domestic violence, and residential care and has been updated to include new legislation.

Useful appendices include a glossary of acronyms and a Table of Legislation, Regulations, and Codes of Practice. Entry-level further reading recommendations and web links provide further resources.

It is a must-have for students of social care and related subjects, as well as for qualified social workers undertaking continuing professional development programmes.

Oxford's unprecedented Dictionary of the Social Sciences is designed to break down the barriers between social science disciplines, as well as to make social scientific language comprehensible to general readers. Collecting anthropology, sociology, political science, economics, human geography, cultural studies, and Marxism in one volume, the Dictionary presents concise, clearly written definitions of more than 1,500 important terms. Entries are true definitions, not extended essays or summaries. Ranging from 50 to 500 words, they succinctly define terms within each specific discipline and acquaint readers with the intellectual issues at stake when the terms are used. The entries draw on classic and contemporary scholarship, and include basic terms, concepts, theories, schools of thought, methodologies, techniques, topics, issues, and controversies. In addition to terminology, the Dictionary includes nearly 275 biographies of major figures—from Franz Boas to John Maynard Keynes to Max Weber, whose work has had a profound impact on the various fields.

This dictionary comprises authoritative, highly accessible entries relating to the social sciences—from politics, economics, and geography, to sociology, history, and psychology, among many other subjects. These entries are supplementary to other social science-related titles in the Quick Reference collection, and are written by specialist authors. The dictionary is an ongoing project, and more entries will be added over time.

2004 ALA/RUSA Outstanding Reference Source

2003 Library Journal Best Reference

2004 Choice Outstanding Academic Title

International in scope and spanning all time periods of human history, The Oxford Encyclopedia of Economic History includes 900 original articles by noted scholars from more than thirty-five countries. Articles range from 500-word entries on inventors, theoreticians, and industry leaders to overarching, 8,000-word essays on markets, industries, and labor. With coverage ranging from accounting and advertising to zoning and zoos, this landmark works stands at the busy intersection of history and the social sciences.

The general conceptual categories of the work are: Geography (entries on cities, countries, and regions); Agriculture; Production Systems, Business History, and Technology; Demography; Institutions, Governments, and Markets; Macroeconomic History and International Economics; Money, Banking and Finance; Labor; Natural Resources and the Environment; and Biographies.