Books to read for the election year
Books to read for the election year
Cambridge books and journals to sharpen your political knowledge
2024 has been described by TIME magazine as ‘the election year’, with more people than ever in history set to vote in elections across 64 countries.
From how young people vote to America’s current political climate, below we highlight a selection of books and journals to spark your political interests and deepen your understanding.
The Conservative Effect, 2010 - 2024: 14 Wasted Years?
After fourteen years of Conservative government in the UK, what changed for the better or worse during this prolonged period of power?
The Conservative Effect examines the impact of Conservative rule on a wide range of economic, social, foreign and governmental areas. Editors Anthony Seldon and Tom Egerton and their team of experts, academics, and journalists offer powerful insights and fresh perspectives for anyone seeking to understand the full scope of the Conservative government's influence on our nation.
The Psychology of Misinformation
King Charles III is Dracula's distant cousin. Governments are hiding information about UFOs. COVID-19 came from outer space. These sound like absurd statements, but some are true, and others are misinformation. But what exactly is misinformation? Who believes and spreads ideas that aren't true, and why? What solutions do we have available to combat misinformation? Who is most at risk of believing misinformation, and why? This book answers all these questions and more.
Tackling the science of misinformation from its evolutionary origins to its role in the internet era, this book translates rigorous research on misleading information into a comprehensive and jargon-free explanation and offers expert advice on how to prevent deception.
Politicising Commodification: European Governance and Labour Politics from the Financial Crisis to the Covid Emergency
This book examines the new economic governance (NEG) regime that the EU adopted after 2008. Its novel research design captures the supranational formulation of NEG prescriptions and their uneven deployment across countries (Germany, Italy, Ireland, Romania), policy areas (employment relations, public services), and sectors (transport, water, healthcare).
The book presents findings that are crucial for the prospects of European democracy, as labour politics is essential in framing the struggles about the direction of NEG along a commodification–decommodification axis rather than a national–EU axis. To shed light on corresponding processes at EU level, it upscales insights on the historical role that labour movements have played in the development of democracy and welfare states. It is an essential piece of reading for our times.
Polarized by Degrees: How the Diploma Divide and the Culture War Transformed American Politics
Over the past several decades, American society has experienced fundamental changes that have polarized the nation's political climate and ignited a perpetual culture war.
In Polarized by Degrees, authors Matt Grossmann and David A. Hopkins show that the Democrats have become the home of highly-educated citizens with progressive social views who prefer credentialed experts to make policy decisions, while Republicans have become the populist champions of white voters without college degrees who increasingly distrust experts. The result of this shift is an increasingly complex world in which everything is about politics – and politics is about everything.
Brexitland
Long-term social and demographic changes - and the conflicts they create - continue to transform British politics.
In this book, authors Maria Sobolewska and Robert Ford show how deep the roots of this polarisation and volatility run, drawing out decades of educational expansion and rising ethnic diversity as key drivers in the emergence of new divides within the British electorate over immigration, identity and diversity.
They argue that choices made by political parties from the New Labour era onwards have mobilised these divisions into politics, first through conflicts over immigration, then through conflicts over the European Union, culminating in the 2016 EU referendum. Providing a comprehensive and far-reaching view of a country in turmoil, Brexitland explains how and why this happened.
Making Young Voters: Converting Civic Attitudes into Civic Action
How young people vote affects the future for us all. In Making Young Voters, the authors investigate the reason for low levels of youth voter turnout, revealing that it’s not political apathy but rather that young people too often fail to follow through on their political interests and intentions. Those with 'noncognitive' skills related to self-regulation are more likely to overcome internal and external barriers to participation.
This book serves to influence not only our understanding of voter turnout, but also the fundamental connections between the education system, electoral institutions, and individual civic behaviour in a democracy.
Real News about the News: Media and British Politics
What role does the media play in British politics? There is growing concern that the media environment is biased, and that online news and social media spread fake news, conspiracy theories, propaganda, and foreign interference.
Examining TV, radio, newspapers and the internet, author Kenneth Newton unravels the real effects of the mainstream and alternative news media. With abundant evidence, Newton demonstrates that, contrary to popular belief, the main media effects on political attitudes and behaviour are positive and inform and mobilise citizens rather than influence their voting choices in detrimental ways.
Books available to buy from all good bookstores.
Research
Cambridge University Press publishes a wide range of journals across all academic disciplines - including political science.
Through our academic publishing, we seek to elevate informed perspectives, give platforms to researchers of all backgrounds, and contribute to the academic and broader conversations that help shape our understanding of the world.
Among our landmark political science journals are:
- The British Journal of Political Science
- Perspectives in Politics
- American Political Science Review
Politics-related research that has appeared in journals published by Cambridge has also gained international media attention, such as a 2023 paper on billionaire politicians, which found that 11 per cent of the world’s billionaires have held or sought political office. This research appeared in Perspectives on Politics, a Press journal published on behalf of the American Political Science Association. It also attracted significant international coverage, including in CNBC, BNN, the LSE Blog, and The Hustle.
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Books to read for the election year
Cambridge books and journals to sharpen your political knowledge
