The concise Oxford dictionary of politics /

The third edition of this dictionary (2nd, 2003; 1st, 1996), which is available in print and electronically, features over 1,700 signed entries. Contributors are academics who come mostly from institutions in the UK, although some are associated with US or western European universities. Entries vary in size from just a few sentences to several pages for certain subjects, such as local government and political economy. Examples of new political concepts covered in the third edition are cosmopolitanism, the clash of civilizations, deliberative democracy, and the politics of fear. Geographic coverage has expanded to include the Bolivarian revolution and the genocides in Rwanda and Darfur, among others. Entries for politicians and political theorists are included, but only if they are deceased. Helpful see references are provided throughout the book, and the electronic version also has links to appropriate Web sites. For example, a link is provided to Greenpeace's home page in that organization's entry, as is access to the constitution of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath party under "Baathism." URLs are not provided in the print version because they can change quickly, but the entries do indicate the existence of Web sites and provide textual descriptions that could help readers locate them. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All academic and public libraries; lower-level undergraduates and above, and general readers. S. M. Metcalf Western Carolina University

This third edition of an information-filled, accurate work, edited by two British political scientists, has contributions from 70 predominantly British academic specialists. Within this framework, the book is broadly and historically inclusive, covering concepts, people, and institutions from around the world. The vast majority of the 1,700 entries are signed with the contributors' initials. The definitions or descriptions are clearly and concisely written and include see and see also references. A useful addition to this edition are Web links at several entries to www.oup.com/uk/reference/resources/politics. The length of the entries is appropriate to clearly explain the topic, such as a few lines for Fatwa, a paragraph for Internet and politics, and one and a half pages for Federalism. Among the entries are Christian socialism, Favorite son, Filibuster, Nimbyism, Pocket veto, Tamil Tigers, and Zapatisimo. The people included are deceased and have made distinct contributions to political theory, the design and structure of political institutions, or political science. Although many entries refer to British cases, examples are drawn from both the U.S. and the UK when needed, such as in Whip. The Watergate entry includes the suffix -gate for other political scandals. A time line of political philosophers and theorists begins with Confucius and concludes with major American philosopher John Rawls, and a list of principal officeholders of a number of countries is current to 2009. This readable, reliable, reasonably priced work fills the needs of advanced students and academics studying politics and related disciplines as well as professionals and the general reader.--Meyers, Arthur Copyright 2009 Booklist