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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.

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 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 450 entries

The International Studies Encyclopedia, published in association with the International Studies Association (ISA), is the most comprehensive reference work of its kind for the fields of international studies and international relations. It brings together specially commissioned, peer reviewed essays, written and edited by an international team of the world's best scholars and teachers.

Key features:

• Primarily organized around the different sections representing areas of specialization within the International Studies Association

• Over 400 specially commissioned, peer reviewed essays of up to 10,000 words focusing on the most important topics and issues

• Written and edited by an international team of the world’s best scholars and teachers and overseen by an editorial board comprising 28 past and present Presidents of ISA

Over 300 entries

International relations has long been a core discipline within the field of Political Science, one of great importance for understanding social, cultural, economic, and political exchanges across national and international boundaries. Every dimension of human experience falls within the scope of the field, making it applicable to psychologists, historians, anthropologists, and others across a wide swath of academia.

The Companion contains entries that are mostly thematic in content, rather than site-specific, permitting the work to have value and currency for years to come. The numerous theories and applications of international relations are comprehensively covered, as are controversies related to the field, prominent figures, and the ways in which international relations have shaped political history.

Over 100 entries

This encyclopedia is the most comprehensive and up-to-date resource on African politics ever produced. In these peer-reviewed entries, readers will find authoritative overviews of the key methodologies and approaches, as well as all of the major topics in African politics, one of the fastest growing and most dynamic areas of political science.

Under the editorial directorship of Nic Cheeseman and associate editors Rita Abrahamsen, Gilbert M. Khadiagala, Peace A. Medie, Rachel Beatty Riedl, and Etienne Smith, The Oxford Encyclopedia of African Politics brings together world-leading researchers from Africa, the United States, and Europe. The Encyclopedia features cutting-edge chapters on a remarkably broad range of topics, and particular areas of strength include: political institutions; identity politics and the significance of ethnicity and religion; the African state and its strengths and weaknesses; development politics; economic policy and management; ideas and ideologies; international relations and regional politics; conflict, violence, and civil war; political and social movements; media and political communication; elections and democracy; research methods and approaches; and ethics and the politics of research.

Each clearly written piece provides a concise summary of the state of the art before drawing on new ideas and evidence to push the debate forward. The encyclopedia is therefore essential reading for all who seek to understand core and emerging topics within the vast and growing literature on African politics.

85 long form essays

Contemporary societies are increasingly crisis-prone, and crises have profound implications for the rapidly changing political, economic, and social landscape. Crises pose major challenges to governments, communities, leaders, and organizations. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Crisis Analysis provides a comprehensive overview of the rapidly emerging and evolving field of crisis studies and explores its connection to several relevant neighboring fields of knowledge. Crises are complex, unfold in diverse political and socio-technical contexts, and must be studied and understood from multiple angles and disciplinary perspectives. This Encyclopedia brings together contributions by experts from political science, public administration, management, international relations, public health, sociology, economics, media and mass communications, the law, and many other fields to explore important theoretical, methodological, empirical, and practical issues related to crisis and crisis management. Articles focus on concepts (crisis as well as closely related concepts such as emergency, disaster, resilience, security etc.), contingencies (natural hazards, major accidents, pandemics, terrorism, social and political conflict among many others), historical and contemporary cases, classic and cutting edge research methods, different “phases” of the crisis/emergency management cycle, as well as documenting a wide range of pitfalls and good practices that can help to forewarn and forearm current and future crisis managers.

The 85 essays in this Encyclopedia fall into six main categories: Theory, Concepts, Metatheory and Methodology, Crisis Governance and Regional Perspectives, Bridging Gaps, and Cases & the Evolving Socio-Technical Context. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Crisis Analysis is a key reference for anyone involved in the study, research, or practice of crisis and emergency analysis and management.

Over 150 entries

This encyclopedia provides an authoritative overview of the central approaches, methodologies, and topics of the field. Its comprehensive examination of both classic and emerging theories underscores the breadth and depth of international relations theory today and is a necessary resource for students and as well as both new and established scholars.

More than 140 entries

This encyclopedia offers the most comprehensive and up-to-date resource on the European integration process. Under the editorial directorship of Finn Laursen and associate editors Derek Beach, Roberto Domínguez, Sung-Hoon Park, Sophie Vanhoonacker, and Amy Verdun, the publication brings together peer-reviewed contributions by leading researchers on the European Union as a global actor. Topics include the basic treaties, institutions and policies of the European Union and the previous European Communities, the European Coal and Steel Community, the European Economic Community, and the European Atomic Energy Community. It also includes articles on the various conceptual frameworks and theories that have been developed by political scientists to guide research into the integration process and the policy- and decision-making processes with a focus on the roles of the different institutions, the European Council, the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the Court of Justice of the EU. Additionally, the publication includes articles on the member states as well as external relations and foreign policies of the EU. As a result, the Oxford Encyclopedia of European Union Politics is a vital resource for students, scholars, and policymakers.

Over 100 entries

This encyclopedia brings together leading scholars to provide the most comprehensive and up-to-date resource on foreign policy analysis ever produced. In over 100 peer-reviewed entries, readers will find authoritative overviews of the theoretical, methodological, and substantive areas of interest in the realm of foreign policy.

94 entries

This encyclopedia reviews and interprets a broad array of research on Latin American politics, including topics related to political institutions, processes, and parties; social movements; political economy; racial and gender politics; and Latin America’s international relations. Under the editorial directorship of Harry E. Vanden and Gary Prevost and associate editors Jennifer Cyr, Kwame Dixon, Mary K. Meyer McAleese, Gabriel Ondetti, and Richard Stahler-Sholk, this publication brings together peer-reviewed contributions by leading researchers and offers the definitive resource for understanding contemporary politics in the region. As a result, the Oxford Encyclopedia of Latin American Politics is a necessary resource for students and as well as both new and established scholars.

Over 450 entries

The Oxford Encyclopedia of Latinos and Latinas in Contemporary Politics, Law, and Social Movements (OEPoL) provides a comprehensive source of information on the diverse historical and contemporary experiences of Latinos and Latinas in the United States. Incorporating key material from the acclaimed Oxford Encyclopedia of Latinos and Latinas in the United States (OUP, 2005), this ground-breaking publication addresses the significant ways in which the Latino and Latina populations have shaped the political, legal, and social institutions of the United States, with new and updated scholarship on political movements and organizations, important legal cases, minority-rights laws, and immigration legislation.

The OEPoL contains over 450 topical entries written by key academics, intellectuals, and scholars, each accompanied by a bibliography of suggested readings. With articles ranging from expansive survey essays to biographies that document the lives of important individuals in Latino and Latina history to interdisciplinary entries focused on essential themes and issues, OEPoL ensures that this timely, increasingly prominent subject receives the reference coverage it deserves.

This encyclopedia reviews and interprets a broad array of social science and humanities research on LGBT people, politics, and public policy around the world. The articles are organized around six major themes of the study of identity politics, with a focus on movement politics, public attitudes, political institutions, elections, and the broader context of political theory. Under the editorial directorship of Donald P. Haider-Markel and associate editors Carlos Ball, Gary Mucciaroni, Bruno Perreau, Craig A. Rimmerman, and Jami K. Taylor, this publication brings together peer-reviewed contributions by leading researchers and offers the most comprehensive view of research on LGBT politics and policy to date. As a result, the Oxford Encyclopedia of LGBT Politics and Policy is a necessary resource for students and as well as both new and established scholars.

Over 90 entries

This encyclopedia traces the development and future of research on political decision making through an exploration of its central theoretical approaches, methodologies, and substantive topics of perennial interest. The focus is on political decision making as a question of individual psychology: individual preferences, information search, evaluation, and choice. Under the editorial directorship of David P. Redlawsk and associate editors Cengiz Erisen, Erin Hennes, Zoe Oxley, Darren Schreiber, and Barbara Vis, this publication brings together peer-reviewed contributions by leading researchers and offers a general framework for studying political decision making that applies to both everyday citizens and political elites. As a result, the Oxford Encyclopedia of Political Decision Making is a necessary resource for students and as well as both new and established scholars.

Over 100 entries

This encyclopedia brings together leading scholars to provide the most comprehensive and up-to-date resource on politics and religion ever produced. Editors in Chief Paul A. Djupe, Mark J. Rozell, and Ted G. Jelen—joined by an editorial board of associate editors (Gizem Arikan, Pazit Ben-Nun Bloom, Taylor Boas, Steven Kettell, Amy Erica Smith, and Güneş Murat Tezcür)—have assembled over 100 peer-reviewed entries. In this extensive resource, readers will find authoritative overviews of the key topics, theories, and findings in religion and politics.

Social scientists have closely observed religion at multiple levels of analysis, across a long time span, and in diverse outlets. As a result, it can be difficult for new researchers and interested observers to understand the state of the field. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Politics and Religion addresses that need, and is therefore essential reading for all who seek to understand some of the most important issues and questions facing the world, including the role of regulation of religion by states, how religion is linked to civil war, whether religion is compatible with democracy, how religion structures political behavior and public opinion, how religious parties behave, and much more.

91 entries

Public administration is a sprawling, diverse field that contains elements of political science, economics, law, sociology, ethics, and many other disciplines while also comprising issues and approaches distinctive to public administration. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Public Administration comprehensively examines the full range of concerns surrounding the core question of governance through administration. It provides significant theoretical perspectives, along with comprehensive assessments of the alignments of people, systems, and action, capturing the rich interconnectedness of public administration, policy, and governance. Contributors have been selected to reflect the diverse international community of scholars in this field, providing a wide range of insights into public administration as the enduring basis on which public affairs are arranged and managed.

The 91 essays in this Encyclopedia fall into four main categories: Theoretical Approaches & Research; People in Public Administration; Systems & Instruments of Public Administration; and Public Administration in Action. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Public Administration is a critical resource for scholars, professionals, and students involved in the study, research, or practice of public administration.

over 120 entries

This encyclopedia provides the definitive resource for exploring the role that military personnel and organizations have played in politics. Many of the articles examine how the military has been involved in politics in specific states. Other articles link the country-specific accounts to broader questions concerning the military in politics, such as what factors encourage military coups, what are the consequences of military rule, how do military personnel vote, and whether military expenditures boost economic growth. No other work has examined the relationships between governments and their military with such breadth. As a result, the Oxford Encyclopedia of the Military in Politics is a necessary resource for students, specialists, and scholars.