Policy Press

Politics and International Relations - Shorts

Showing 1-12 of 37 items.

A Leader-Centered Theory of Foreign Policy Change

US Foreign Policy towards Cuba under Obama

This innovative account challenges traditional views in International Relations by theorising the influence of individual leaders on foreign policy change. It examines how and why leaders shape policy, showcasing Obama's Cuba pivot as a prime example.

Bristol Uni Press
  • ForthcomingHardbackGBP 40.00 Pre-order
  • Currently not availableEPUBGBP 14.99

Understanding and Improving Public Management Reforms

Why do top-down reforms to public services so often over-promise and under-deliver? Using five concepts from psychology, economics and organisational sociology and diverse examples of successes and failures, Thomas Elston addresses this pressing question of good governance.

Policy Press
  • ForthcomingHardbackGBP 42.99 Pre-order
  • Currently not availableEPUBGBP 15.99

Participating in Peace

Violence, Development and Dialogue in Colombia

This book reflects on what people in two different Colombian communities have achieved through participatory peacebuilding. The authors explore different forms of local agency, the prospects for non-extractive academic engagement, and practical and theoretical lessons for participating in peace in other conflict-affected settings.

Bristol Uni Press

Displacement, Human Rights and Sexual and Reproductive Health

Conceptualizing Gender Protection Gaps in Latin America

Focusing on the flight of women and girls from Venezuela, this book examines the gendered nature of forced displacement and the ways in which the failures of protection regimes to be sensitive to displacement’s gendered character affect women and girls, and their sexual and reproductive health.

Bristol Uni Press

Humour and Politics in Africa

Beyond Resistance

This book examines the relationship between humour and politics in Africa. Moving beyond the idea of humour as a mode of resistance, the book investigates the ‘political work’ that humour does and explores the complex entanglements in which the politics, practices and performances of humour are located.

Bristol Uni Press

China’s COVID-19 Vaccine Supplies to the Global South

Between Politics and Business

This book unpacks the political economy of China’s COVID-19 vaccine supplies to the Global South. Examining the political and economic forces at play, the book demonstrates how China’s vaccine provisions have been determined by a complex set of commercial interests, domestic politics, and geopolitical relationships.

Bristol Uni Press

The Swedish Experiment

The COVID-19 Response and its Controversies

This short book explores Sweden’s response to the global pandemic and the wave of controversies it triggered. It helps to make sense of the response by defining ‘a Swedish model’ that incorporates the country’s value system and offers a case study for understanding the ways in which different national approaches to the pandemic have been compared.

Bristol Uni Press

Public Service Motivation?

Rethinking What Motivates Public Actors

Christopher O’Leary provides a fresh perspective on prosocial working choices in this first substantive critique of Public Service Motivation. The book reviews concepts of PSM and research to date and explores the rationales and aims of public and third sector workers before proposing alternative theories for people’s motivations to serve.

Policy Press

Reforming the UK’s Citizenship Test

Building Bridges, Not Barriers

Thom Brooks draws on first-hand experience and interviews with key figures including past Home Secretaries to expose the UK's Citizenship test as ineffective and a barrier to citizenship. This accessible guide offers recommendations for transforming the citizenship test into a ‘bridge to citizenship’ which fosters greater inclusion and integration.

Bristol Uni Press

Flexible Europe

Differentiated Integration, Fairness, and Democracy

Clear, balanced and accessible, this book explores the alternative of a flexible European Union (EU) based on differentiated rather than uniform integration. They examine the circumstances and institutional design needed for flexibility to promote rather than undermine fairness and democracy within and between member states.

Bristol Uni Press

Experiments in Automating Immigration Systems

Identifying a pattern of risky experimentation with automated systems in the Home Office, this book outlines precautionary measures that are essential to ensure that society benefits from government automation without exposing individuals to unacceptable risks.

Bristol Uni Press

Declaring a Public Health Emergency of International Concern

Between International Law and Politics

Addressing multiple empirical case studies, including COVID-19, this multidisciplinary book explores the relationship between international law and international relations to interrogate how a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) is declared and its role in how we collectively respond to outbreaks.

Bristol Uni Press