Handbook of Politics

Dr. Leicht is a professor in the Department of Sociology and the co-director of the Iowa Center for Inequality Studies at the University of Iowa. He was the chair of the Organization, Occupation, and Work section of ASA from 2005-2006. Dr. Jenkins is a Professor of Sociology and Political Science and an associate at the Mershon Center for International Security at the Ohio State University. He was the chair of the Political Sociology section of ASA from 1995-1996. Both are members of the Sociological Research Association, an invited group of academics in sociology.

• Introduction: The Study of Politics Enters the Twenty-First Century.- Introduction: The Study of Politics Enters the Twenty-First Century.- Theory in the Study of Politics.- Institutional Theory.- Redesigning the State, Reorienting State Power, and Rethinking the State.- Public Opinion, Public Policy, and Democracy.- Democracy, Professions and Societal Constitutionalism.- Power, Politics, and the Civil Sphere.- On the Origins of Neoliberalism: Political Shifts and Analytical Challenges.- Transboundary Politics.- Elite Theory and Elites.- Conflict Theory.- When and Where Class Matters for Political Outcomes: Class and Politics in a Cross-National Perspective.- Political Change and Transformation.- Social Movements and Contentious Politics.- Political Violence as an Object of Study: The Need for Taxonomic Clarity.- Corporations, Capitalists, and Campaign Finance.- States and Economic Development.- Gender, Politics, and Women's Empowerment.- Globalization and Collective Action.- CulturalAnalysis of Political Protest.- Religion and Post-secular Politics.- Space and Politics.- Politics and the Environment.- Politics as a Cultural Phenomenon.- Urban Politics.- Democracy and Democratization.- Authoritarian State and Contentious Politics.- Mass Media and Democratic Politics.- Elections and Voting.- The Politics of Economic Inequality.- The Political Sociology of Criminal Justice.- Methods in the Study of Politics.- Comparative-Historical Methodology in Political Sociology.- Multilevel Models.- Event History Methods.- Social Networks and Political Analysis.- Time Series Analysis of Political Change.

From the reviews: "The editors have done an excellent job of emphasizing the distinct aspects from the globalization of the complex interactions between state and society. ... The breadth and scope of the volume ... makes it a valuable reference resource for anyone interested in the study of political phenomena. ... the collection offers a comprehensive overview of the different theoretical debates, topics and methodological perspectives on politics. ... will be invaluable to the endeavors of both students and scholars of political science, philosophy, globalization studies and sociology." (Emilian Kavalski, Journal of Global Analysis, Vol. 3 (1), 2012)