Citizen Politics: Public Opinion and Political Parties In Advanced Industrial Democracies, 5th Edition [Paperback]

Russell J Dalton (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0872895378 | ISBN-13: 978-0872895379 | Publication Date: May 15, 2008 0

Now, more than ever, people drive the democratic process. What people think of their government and its leaders, how (or whether) they vote, and what they do or say about a host of political issues greatly affect the further strengthening or erosion of democracy and democratic ideals. With helpful restructuring, the new fifth edition of "Citizen Politics" is even more student-friendly while continuing to offer the only truly comparative study of political attitudes and behavior in the United States, Great Britain, France, and Germany. In addition to its comprehensive, thematic examination of political values, political activity, voting, and public images of government within a cross-national context, "Citizen Politics" now explores new forms of political activity, such as Internet-based activism, and new forms of political consumerism. All of the chapters have been updated with the latest research and empirical evidence, including new data from the Comparative Study of Electoral Systems project, the World Values Survey, the International Social Survey Program, and the British and German national election studies. Further, Dalton devotes more attention to current academic debates over the decline of participation, the erosion of political support, and the implications for democracy. This title includes a new data supplement! Give your students a firsthand opportunity to understand the process of public opinion research. A data supplement from the International Social Survey Program along with matching SPSS files is available online.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Russell J. Dalton is professor of political science at the University of California, Irvine and the author, co-author, or editor of many books, including Democratic Challenges, Democratic Choices: The Erosion of Political Support in Advanced Industrial Democracies (2004), Critical Masses: Citizens, Environmental Destruction, and Nuclear Weapons Production in Russia and the United States (1999), and The Green Rainbow: Environmental Interest Groups in Western Europe (1994). --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: CQ Press (May 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0872895378
• ISBN-13: 978-0872895379
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #434,891 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Russell Dalton is a professor of political science at the University of California, Irvine. His research and teaching focuses on the role of citizens in the political process, and how democracies can better address public preferences and the democratic ideal. He has authored or edited more than twenty books and more than a 150 research articles. Dalton has been awarded the Developing Scholar Award by Florida State University, a Fulbright Research Fellowship, Scholar-in-Residence at the Barbra Streisand Center, German Marshall Fund Research Fellowship, the POSCO Fellowship at the East West Center, and the UCI Emeriti Award for Faculty Mentorship. He was founding director of the Center for the Study of Democracy at UC Irvine.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars An overly academic look at civic engagement, January 18, 2012

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Max Ellithorpe (Chicago, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Citizen Politics: Public Opinion and Political Parties In Advanced Industrial Democracies, 5th Edition (Paperback)

This book had potential. Civic engagement is a rapidly growing area of study in political science. Instead, I found it to be a boring and overly "academic" look at public opinion and mobilization. It is not an "accessible" book.

4.0 out of 5 stars About the Citizen, September 19, 2011

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Michael Griswold "Michael Griswold" (Rockford, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Citizen Politics: Public Opinion and Political Parties In Advanced Industrial Democracies, 5th Edition (Paperback)

I'm not terribly sure that I share the optimism that is a feature of Russell Dalton's Citizen Politics that the average person on the street has a meaningful impact on the political process throughout Western Europe and the United States, given how politically unaware our society is, but overall its' very well written and conscience which isn't something that can be said about many graduate level textbooks. Many of the chapters are quick reads that are chocked full of information about how vital citizens are to the development of the political process in industrialized democracies...though at no point does this information overwhelm the reader like many grad texts that are often more concerned about how many 50 dollar words they can spread round than presenting meaningful information and debate. Bravo for the effort, Mr. Dalton.

0 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Meh, October 4, 2010

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Amazon Junkie (Parkville, MO, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Citizen Politics: Public Opinion and Political Parties In Advanced Industrial Democracies, 5th Edition (Paperback)

Very thin book with very glossy cover.
My having opened and read it was very apparent by the creases that quickly appeared on such a glossy spine.