The Good Politician

Nick Clarke is Associate Professor of Human Geography at the University of Southampton. Will Jennings is Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at the University of Southampton. Jonathan Moss is Lecturer in Politics at the University of Sussex. Gerry Stoker is Centenary Professor of Governance at the University of Canberra and Professor of Governance at the University of Southampton.

• Introduction; 1. The problem of anti-politics; 2. Taking the long view and listening to citizens' voices; 3. Beyond trendless fluctuation: the broadening social scope of anti-politics; 4. Beyond permanent apathy: the broadening political scope of anti-politics; 5. Beyond the decline of deference: the rising intensity of anti-politics; 6. Beyond depoliticisation: the persistent force of stealth democratic folk theories; 7. Changing images of the good politician; 8. Changing modes of political interaction; 9. Changing folk theories: from stealth democracy to stealth populism; Conclusion.

'It is not at all easy to write an important book on such an important topic. But that is precisely what we have here - and, reassuringly, it is both an optimistic book and one strongly grounded in the empirical evidence. It should be required reading for all politicians - good and not so good alike - and for all of us invited periodically to choose between the good and the not so good amongst them.' Colin Hay, Sciences Po, Paris