Politics: An Introduction

Accessible and engaging throughout, this introductory text examines politics from a Canadian, comparative, and international perspective. Guiding students through the basics of political ideologies and institutions before moving on to more complex concepts, this text covers essential questions regarding politics, such as who has power in society and why, how might groups participate in political activity, how can we distinguish among so many types of political systems, how is wealth distributed, and why is conflict so prevalent in the world today?

This newly updated edition includes new coverage of populism, the rebirth of protectionist nationalism, and the politics of climate change, and continues to use current examples and case studies from Canada and around the world.

George A. MacLean, Vice-president Academic and Professor, Department of Political Science, University of New Brunswick,Duncan R. Wood, Director of the Mexico Institute, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Washington, D.C,Lori Turnbull, Associate professor, Department of Political Science, Dalhousie University

George A. MacLean is vice-president academic and professor in the Department of Political Science at University of New Brunswick. He is a specialist in International Politics, focusing on foreign policy, political economy, and security. He was a professor of Political Studies at University of Manitoba, where he held adjunct appointments in the Mauro Centre for Peace and Justice, served as department head from 2005-2011, and associate dean, Faculty of Graduate Studies, from 2011-2014. He was listed by Maclean's magazine as one of the top professors at University of Manitoba. He is the recipient of multiple awards for teaching and research, and is the author, co-author, or editor of eight books. He has published in Canada and abroad, presented lectures in the USA, Mexico, Brazil, Europe, and Asia. He has been contracted with the Canadian Government on matters of foreign and security policy, and has appeared before Senate and House of Commons hearings.

Duncan R. Wood is director of the Mexico Institute at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. Prior to this, he was a professor and the director of the International Relations Program at the Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico (ITAM) in Mexico City for 17 years. He has been a member of the Mexican National Research System, an editorial advisor to both Reforma and El Universal newspapers, and is a member of the editorial board of Foreign Affairs Latinoamerica. In 2007, he was a non-resident Fulbright Fellow. He has been a Senior Associate with the Simon Chair and the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C. He is a recipient of the Canadian Governor Generals Visit Award for contributions to the Mexico-Canada relationship. His work and research areas center on immigration and comparative politics, and North American relations. He has published extensively on cross-border transactions and politics.

Lori Turnbull is associate professor at the Department of Political Science, Dalhousie University. She is a past winner of the Donald Smiley Prize (awarded annually by the Canadian Political Science Association to the best book published in a field relating to the study of government and politics in Canada), and the Donner Prize (awarded annually to the best public policy book by a Canadian). She is the co-author of two monographs, as well as book chapters in volumes published by University of Toronto Press, McGill-Queens University Press, and Routledge. She has published articles in the Canadian Political Science Review; Journal of Parliamentary and Political Law; and Canadian Public Administration among others. Her major areas of research are Canadian parliamentary governance, political ethics, elections, electoral systems, and public engagement. She has also recently worked as a seconded policy advisor for the Privy Council Office.