In Democratization through the Looking-Glass, Peter Burnell provides a revealing image of how our knowledge and understanding of democratization could be improved by viewing the topic through a more multi- disciplinary lens and from the perspective of more broadly based comparative analyses. Burnell and his contributors encourage readers to both "look and think outside of the box," beyond the limited parameters that usually shape the study of democratization. The goal of Democratization through the Looking-Glass is to pursue a more comprehensive understanding of democratization as a process taking many forms rather than just as a political phenomenon. With a viewpoint from a wider multi-disciplinary stance, and broader global geopolitical knowledge base, the contributors hope to get readers to better recognize and address gaps in the political science literature on the subject of democratization. The contributors seek to do this by specifically: explaining what democratization is while also making sense of the wide variety of experiences undergone by different societies at different times going through this very process; anticipating the wider effects of democratization's consequences for all human conditions at all levels; and critically assessing strategies for extending and deepening democracy by improving its positive qualities and chances of being sustained in societies into which it is introduced. This volume takes readers in the direction of predicting and foretelling the future of democracy and democratization with greater accuracy. In all, Democratization through the Looking-Glass provides a wide-ranging review of themes, issues, and topics concisely written by leading experts in their fields while advancing its case for more inclusive comparative studies covering Europe and North America, as well as developing regions, showing precisely how multi-disciplinary approaches enhance a global vision and understanding of democratization.

"The past-fifteen years have seen a transformation in the politics of the developing world and the way we think about it. This textbook identifies and analyses the processes and events that are changing politics in developing societies and shaping our perceptions of them."--BOOK JACKET.

The most comprehensive overview of Indian politics to date, the companion incorporates the best social science knowledge available on the developments in Indian politics and provides an analytical perspective of how such issues are best understood.

The phenomenon of state fragility has become a mounting concern to the international community in the last decades. This edited volume consists of a compilation of articles that evaluates how countries may recover and return to a path of stable and democratic development. In its 17 chapters, the contributors analyze the difficult transformation processes of four countries: Afghanistan, Georgia, Kosovo and Moldova. The authors tackle theoretical approaches to state reform as well as country specific issues like the role of external actors, security sector reform, and anti-corruption strategies.

In America Through the Looking Glass, 15 distinguished conservative political scientists argue that the 1992 presidential campaign introduced a number of important, and potentially dangerous, innovations in campaign methods that undermined the very system of representative government the candidates sought to lead. By focusing on the campaign's public events, they consider the ways in which a campaign shapes public opinion, informing the American people's understanding of the structure and functioning of government.

This book explores the concept of civil society which over recent years has been revived and introduced into the institutional debate of the EU and the contributors study the role of civil society organisations in the multi-level context of European governance.