Its lively, engaging style and authoritative and comprehensive coverage have made this highly successful text the first choice introduction to politics for students and instructors alike. The fourth edition has been has been systematically revised and updated to cover key developments such as the global economic crisis and the Arab Spring. The book also has a new more integrated chapter structure which makes it easier for students to see how different topics interrelate and takes better account of the increasing interdependence between domestic and world events. With an attractive new full-colour page design, each chapter includes a range of innovative features and boxed information to aid learning and stimulate critical reflection: - Full-page Politics in Action boxes examine major political events from around the world and reflect on their significance for political science. - Debating boxes introduce the key controversies within politics and highlight arguments both for and against a particular proposition. - Illustrated Key Thinker profiles give detail about important figures and their ideas - Concept boxes offer a fuller discussion of important political terms and concepts, particularly those with complex or contested meanings