Power & Choice: An Introduction to Political Science

This is a comparative, conceptual introduction to political science, organized topically rather than country-by-country, providing in-depth examples at the end of most chapters to provide greater richness about various countries than a topical treatment would normally provide. The theme of "power and choice," based on a definition of politics as the making of collective choices for a group or state through the use of power, runs through much of the text.

W. PHILLIPS SHIVELY is Professor of Political Science at the University of Minnesota, where he moved in 1971 after teaching at the University of Oregon and Yale University. He has also served as Visiting Professor at the University of Oslo in Norway. His research, which has appeared in numerous articles, deals with the comparative study of elections, and he has written The Craft of Political Research, an introduction to research techniques. He has also had practical political experience as a lobbyist in Minnesota. His true love is bird-watching.