This best-selling textbook continues to lead the way in providing an approachable and wide-ranging introduction to politics. It covers the key concepts, theories and debates, actors and institutions that drive politics, exploring their application and relevance to contemporary political developments. This sixth edition's new co-author, Matthew Laing, builds on previous editions and provides significant revisions to chapters covering populism, elections, global policing, security and governance, race and gender in politics, and law and the media to reflect rapidly changing global practice and scholarship.

Brand new global examples and a range of tried-and-tested pedagogical tools, including Key Thinker profiles, Politics in Action features and debating boxes, allow students to develop nuanced responses to political issues.

Carefully designed and written to map onto degree curricula, it remains the go-to text for undergraduate introductory and comparative politics courses. It can also be used as pre-course reading or as a point of reference for politics majors or minors.

New to this edition:
- The popular Politics in Action features have been updated with new case studies to reflect the latest political developments, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the persistent rise of populism, the climate emergency, China’s continuing emergence as a world power and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
- A re-worked chapter on global political regimes, with new emphasis on flawed democracies, hybrid regimes and democratic backsliding in the modern world.
- A greater diversity of illustrative examples from around the world, with many more case studies and analyses drawn from Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Updated and free-to-use online resources that support teaching and learning can be found at bloomsburyonlineresources.com/politics-6e, featuring flashcards, a glossary, additional cases, interactive simulations and weblinks for students, and for lecturers PowerPoint slides, a testbank and a guide to using the book.

Politics is a wide-ranging and indispensable textbook for covering all the basics of the study of politics without sacrificing nuanced analysis of crucial concepts. From ideology to global governance, this book does it all! * Stefanie Fishel, University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia *
An admirable overview of crucial concepts and categories, providing a welcome introduction to the study of politics. By both situating its chapters in historical material and providing contemporary examples “in action” today, students should be well prepared to pursue study of any material that strikes their interest. * Philip D. Bunn, Covenant College, USA *
Politics remains the go to textbook as an entry point into the study of political science. The ‘Politics in Action’ boxes helps to bring the subject matter alive and the use of diverse examples challenges students to think beyond their own preconceived views. * Tom Caygill, Nottingham Trent University, UK *
Heywood and Laing's text is essential for any foundational course on politics across the academic spectrum and remains a key reference point for anyone working in areas that engage with the political process * Owen Worth, University of Limerick, Ireland *
Having “to-the-point boxes” on key concepts and thinkers, discussions, and politics in action, makes the book an entertaining as well as instructive reading. * Rolf Frankenberger, University of Tübingen, Germany *
Clearly constructed and empirically grounded, this book offers students critical insights on the nature and complexity of politics across a broad range of themes. * Caitlin Mollica, University of Newcastle, Australia *

Andrew Heywood was Vice Principal of Croydon College, UK, having previously been Director of Studies at Orpington College, UK, and Head of Politics at Farnborough Sixth-Form College, UK.


Matthew Laing is an Adjunct Lecturer in Political Science at Monash University, Australia. He is Senior Writer and Content Developer at The Great Courses in the USA.