Paul Webb is Professor of Politics at the University of Sussex, and has held previous and visiting positions at universities in the UK, Australia and Japan. He has researched and published widely on party and electoral politics and is editor of the journal Party Politics. He is an elected Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences.Tim Bale is Professor of Politics at Queen Mary University of London. Previously he taught at Sussex University, Victoria University of Wellington and Sheffield University. He specializes in party politics in the UK and Europe and appears frequently in the British and international media.

• 1: Party Systems in the UK: An Overview 2: The Changing Electoral Market in Britain: From Mobilization to Competition 3: Understanding Electoral Change: Realignment or Dealignment? 4: How Parties Compete 1: Ideological Reputations and Manoeuvres 5: How Parties Compete 2: Programmatic Adaptation 6: How Paries Compete 3: Imagery, Media Effects, and Political Marketing 7: Conflict and Cohesion in Parties 8: Members, Leaders, and the Distribution of Power Within Parties 9: Party Organizational Resources 10: Parties and the Political System Appendix

A brilliant, mind expanding book — and very readable.