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The Oxford Handbooks of Political Science
The Oxford Handbook of Political Institutions
The study of political institutions is among the founding pillars of political science. With the rise of the 'new institutionalism', the study of institutions has returned to its place in the sun. This volume provides a comprehensive survey of where we are in the study of political
institutions, covering both the traditional concerns of political science with constitutions, federalism and bureaucracy and more recent interest in theory and the constructed nature of institutions. The Oxford Handbook of Political Institutions draws together a galaxy of distinguished contributors
drawn from leading universities across the world.
institutions, covering both the traditional concerns of political science with constitutions, federalism and bureaucracy and more recent interest in theory and the constructed nature of institutions. The Oxford Handbook of Political Institutions draws together a galaxy of distinguished contributors
drawn from leading universities across the world.
840 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 12, 2015
Here is what a weirdo I am: this book was part of a graduate course I took in political science a few years ago. We were assigned the first section of the book as part of our reading, but most of it went unread at the time. I shelved it after the semester, but a sense of guilt about having it on my shelf without finishing it kept eating away at me...so eventually I took it down and decided to finish the (rather long) remainder of it. I can't stand having an unfinished book on my shelf.
The OCD part of me is happy I did it, but the more rational part of my brain tells a different story. The vast majority of people reading this book will do so as part of a class. The first 10 or so essays are very valuable because they are relatively short primers on the various schools of institutionalist thought in political science. It's a great thing to have around if you are, say, studying for a comprehensive exam.
But the rest of the book can be pretty trying. As is more or less always true in books that are collections of essays by various authors, some bits are better than others. But it's all quite jargon heavy, occasionally to the point of being impenetrable.
If you are interested in delving into one of subfields discussed, perhaps one of these essays can be a starting point, but the whole is less than the sum of its parts. Read what you need to for your studies, but (if your brain will let you) go ahead and leave the rest of it unread.
The OCD part of me is happy I did it, but the more rational part of my brain tells a different story. The vast majority of people reading this book will do so as part of a class. The first 10 or so essays are very valuable because they are relatively short primers on the various schools of institutionalist thought in political science. It's a great thing to have around if you are, say, studying for a comprehensive exam.
But the rest of the book can be pretty trying. As is more or less always true in books that are collections of essays by various authors, some bits are better than others. But it's all quite jargon heavy, occasionally to the point of being impenetrable.
If you are interested in delving into one of subfields discussed, perhaps one of these essays can be a starting point, but the whole is less than the sum of its parts. Read what you need to for your studies, but (if your brain will let you) go ahead and leave the rest of it unread.
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July 12, 2022The best !
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews