A text suitable for A level British Government and Politics syllabuses as well as AS level and BTEC (FE and public sector HE) courses and for first and second year undergraduate politics BA and BSc courses in polytechnics and universities. It combines coverage of political institutions and processes with assessment of concepts, ideologies and issues. Besides covering the traditional areas of study from the Prime Minister, cabinet, Civil Service and parliament to elections, parties and pressure groups it also deals with controversies such as economic management, the role of the unions, the future of the Welfare State, racial and sexual discrimination, devolution, European integration and the environment and national security. Each chapter has a brief introduction, summary listing key points and conclusions and ends with questions, assignments and a further reading guide. The book is illustrated with tables and boxed examples. Other features of the text are its opening and concluding sections. The first four chapters of Part 1 provide an introduction to the nature of politics, key political concepts and major ideologies as well as setting British politics and political culture in a comparative context. Part 4 examines the main theories concerning the distribution of power in British society and analyze the impact of the Thatcher government which has dominated British politics in the 1980s. Bill Coxall's previous publications include Politics, Compromise and Conflict in Liberal Democracy (1973) and Parties and Pressure Groups (1981). Lynton Robins is co-author of People and Politics.