The second edition of this comprehensive introduction to politics remains an essential framework for assessing the health and workings of present-day democracy. The book explores how democratic processes bring public policy into line with popular, basically centrist, preferences. In helping explain its workings, it equips us to better defend democracy. Applying newly integrated theories of democratic processes to contemporary developments such as the use of right-wing populism across the world, it is the first textbook to help readers develop and apply predictive explanations for themselves. In doing so, it provides straightforward practical tools for evaluating how current events impact on democratic procedures and processes. Key features: provides answers to key questions such as how much contemporary democracies have lost direction under the impact of populist parties, big business and international threats. - validated against statistical evidence and examples from across the world, it details more exactly when and how democracy goes wrong and how to put it right. - shows how to develop predictive explanations as a basis for action, thus strengthening democracy by understanding it better. - outlines – in easy-to-understand terms – the basic statistical approaches that drive empirically informed analysis. - in-text features include chapter summaries, reviews, key points, illustrative briefings, key concepts and project and essay suggestions, further reading. Politics is an essential resource for students of political science hoping a rules-based global order, and of key interest to economics, public policy analysis and more broadly the social sciences. “Ian Budge and Michael McDonald demonstrate not only how democratic systems work under changing conditions but also how to empirically investigate the relationship between citizens’ preferences and policy performances of governments using ‘predictive theorizing’. The exceptional strength of this book is the accessible text and application of testing theories. This 2nd edition provides up-to-date information on democracies in a changing world. I hold this introduction to ‘Politics’ as unique and is a must-read for political scientists and beyond.” Hans Keman , Emeritus Professor of Comparative Political Science, Vrije Universteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands “This is a really comprehensive and thorough introduction to political science. It pioneers ‘predictive theory’ that is theory based on realistic assumptions about political actors, institutions and processes and which is validated by extensive testing for its accuracy. The focus is on providing general explanations of the causes and consequences of political action across countries and in institutions making it is essential reading for introductory students of politics.” Paul Whiteley , Emeritus Professor of Government, University of Essex, UK “I really like this book. Driven by predictive political theory that builds on and extends the large body of research on modern representative democracies, it helps explain the politics and policy that we actually observe. Politics, second edition not only makes that real world more understandable, but it does so in an engaging and compelling way. I heartily recommend it.” Christopher Wlezien , Hogg Professor of Government, University of Texas at Austin, USA Ian Budge is Emeritus Professor in the Department of Government, University of Essex, UK, and well known internationally as the author of numerous research articles and textbooks on democratic politics. Michael D. McDonald is Emeritus Professor of Political Science at Binghamton University, USA: a former Director of the Center on Democratic Performance there and a gold medallist for his work in that area.