In a world of increasing austerity measures, democratic politics comes under pressure. With the need to consolidate budgets and to accommodate financial markets, the responsiveness of governments to voters declines. However, democracy depends on choice. Citizens must be able to influence the course of government through elections and if a change in government cannot translate into different policies, democracy is incapacitated. Many mature democracies are approaching this situation as they confront fiscal crisis. For almost three decades, OECD countries have - in fits and starts - run deficits and accumulated debt. As a result, an ever smaller part of government revenue is available today for discretionary spending and social investment and whichever party comes into office will find its hands tied by past decisions. The current financial and fiscal crisis has exacerbated the long-term shrinking government discretion; projects for political change have lost credibility. Many citizens are aware of this situation: they turn away from party politics and stay at home on Election Day. With contributions from leading scholars in the forefront of sociology, politics and economics, this timely book will be of great interest to students and scholars throughout the social sciences as well as general readers.

Provides researchers with a novel methodological tool to study interactions between governments, challengers, and third-party actors.

The past few years have seen an unexpected resurgence of street-level protest movements around the world, from the uprisings of the Arab Spring to the rise of the anti-austerity Indignados in Spain and Greece to the global spread of the Occupy movement. This collection is designed to offer a comparative analysis of these movements, setting them in international, socio-economic, and cross-cultural perspective in order to help us understand why movements emerge, what they do, how they spread, and how they fit into both local and worldwide historical contexts. As the most significant wave of mass protests in decades continues apace, this book offers an authoritative analysis that could not be more timely.

In 2008 another economic crisis emerged in the long history of capitalism which created a period of 'austerity economics' across many nations. Cultural Politics in the Age of Austerity examines how austerity has impacted upon cultural politics in relation to understanding how established power is both maintained and challenged. The book begins by detailing the meaning of cultural politics before exploring themes such as media discourse, austerity narratives, class, cultural hegemony/government policymaking, social movements and the European Union, and left responses to austerity. It also includes chapters tracing cultural politics in Spain, with a focus on anti-austerity movements and the relationship between austerity and Spanish football. Cultural Politics in the Age of Austerity assesses the impact of a range of cultural/political forms concerning the dynamics of society and relations of power during times of crisis. As such, it will appeal to scholars of culture, media, politics, philosophy, sociology and social psychology.

In 2008 another economic crisis emerged in the long history of capitalism which created a period of ‘austerity economics’ across many nations. Cultural Politics in the Age of Austerity examines how austerity has impacted upon cultural politics in relation to understanding how established power is both maintained and challenged. The book begins by detailing the meaning of cultural politics before exploring themes such as media discourse, austerity narratives, class, cultural hegemony/government policymaking, social movements and the European Union, and left responses to austerity. It also includes chapters tracing cultural politics in Spain, with a focus on anti-austerity movements and the relationship between austerity and Spanish football. Cultural Politics in the Age of Austerity assesses the impact of a range of cultural/political forms concerning the dynamics of society and relations of power during times of crisis. As such, it will appeal to scholars of culture, media, politics, philosophy, sociology and social psychology.

"How neoliberal political economy shapes writing assessments, curricula, teacher agency, program administration, and funding distribution. How neoliberal political economy dictates direction of scholarship, because the economic and political agenda shaping the terms of work, the methods, and the ways of assessing writing also shapes directions of scholarship"--Provided by publisher.

This book thoroughly explores and analyses naval policy during the period of austerity that followed the First World War. During this post-war period, as the Royal Navy identified Japan its likely opponent in a future naval war, the British Government was forced to “tighten its belt” and cut back on naval expenditure in the interests of “National Economy”. G.H. Bennett draws connections between the early 20th century and the present day, showing how the same kind of connections exist between naval and foreign policy, the provision of ships for the Royal Navy, business and regional prosperity and employment. The Royal Navy in the Age of Austerity 1919-22 engages with a series of important historiographical debates relating to the history of the Royal Navy, the failures of British Defence policy in the inter-war period and the evolution of British foreign policy after 1919, together with more mundane debates about British economic, industrial, social and political history in the aftermath of the First World War. It will be of great interest to scholars and students of British naval history.

Experts from around the world review the complex and rapidly changing politics and policies of austerity in this comprehensive collection of essays. The book details the many different means and expressions of austerity since the financial crisis of 2008, as well as backlashes and emerging political alternatives.

Following the 2008 global financial crisis, Canada appeared to escape the austerity implemented elsewhere, but this was spin hiding the reality. A closer look reveals that the provinces – responsible for delivering essential public and social services such as education and healthcare – shouldered the burden. The Public Sector in an Age of Austerity examines public-sector austerity in the provinces and territories, specifically addressing how austerity was implemented, what forms austerity agendas took (from regressive taxes and new user fees to public-sector layoffs and privatization schemes), and what, if any, political responses resulted. Contributors focus on the period from 2007 to 2015, the global financial crisis and the period of fiscal consolidation that followed, while also providing a longer historical context – austerity is not a new phenomenon. A granular examination of each jurisdiction identifies how changing fiscal conditions have affected the delivery of public services and restructured public finances, highlighting the consequences such changes have had for public-sector workers and users of public services. The first book of its kind in Canada, The Public Sector in an Age of Austerity challenges conventional wisdom by showing that Canada did not escape post-crisis austerity, and that its recovery has been vastly overstated.

The ascendance of austerity policies and the protests they have generated have had a deep impact on the shape of contemporary politics. The stunning electoral successes of SYRIZA in Greece, Podemos in Spain and the Movimento 5 Stelle (M5S) in Italy, alongside the quest for a more radical left in countries such as the UK and the US, bear witness to a new wave of parties that draws inspiration and strength from social movements. The rise of movement parties challenges simplistic expectations of a growing separation between institutional and contentious politics and the decline of the left. Their return demands attention as a way of understanding both contemporary socio-political dynamics and the fundamentals of political parties and representation. Bridging social movement and party politics studies, within a broad concern with democratic theories, this volume presents new empirical evidence and conceptual insight into these topical socio-political phenomena, within a cross-national comparative perspective.