The Routledge Handbook of Political Parties

‘Anyone looking to get up to speed on the state of the art in research on political parties needs to read this book. Written by a stellar cast of experts, it tells you where we are now and where things are heading. A truly invaluable collection.’ Tim Bale, Queen Mary University of London, UK ‘The editors have expertly curated a compelling collection of chapters which address classic research questions in the study of party politics, alongside contributions that reflect new research foci, international analysis via regional studies, and research design and methods. All of the chapters present a state of the art, reconsider key conceptual debates, explore empirical approaches, and outline future research agendas. Such an approach offers the reader clear links to “seminal” and pioneering literature complemented by more critical studies, provides for a comparative approach, and highlights debates amongst party scholars with regard to methodological and empirical stances. The Routledge Handbook of Political Parties tells those interested in party politics what they need to critically study in party types, families, systems, and party change; it reviews party responses to critical contemporary issues such as gender inequality, European integration, the environment, and immigration; and is attuned to the study of political parties beyond established, western democracies. Accessible and yet comprehensive, the Routledge Handbook of Political Parties is a fine resource for students, the interested public, and scholars alike.’ Sarah Childs, University of Edinburgh, UK ‘This book is a must read for any serious scholar of political parties. It will be a very welcome addition to the libraries of scholars who study political parties. It includes many of the top scholars in the field. and has a very coherent organization , including definitional chapters, party as organization, party ideology and party systems as well as exemplary types of parties. I will certainly be relying heavily on the contributions in this book in my own work and will be using it in my classes at both the graduate and undergraduate levels.’ John Ishiyama, University Distinguished Research Professor and Chair, University of North Texas, USA