Ethics and Integrity in British Politics - How Citizens Judge Their Politicians'' Conduct and Why It Matters

Drawing on original data, this book is the first account of popular understandings of political ethics in contemporary British politics.

List of contents

1. Why study perceptions of politicians' conduct?; 2. Thinking about political ethics and conduct; 3. Ethics and misconduct in British politics; 4. Expectations and the scope of ethical judgements; 5. How people judge political conduct; 6. What people think of their elected politicians; 7. The political effects of ethical evaluations; 8. Changing public perceptions: problems and remedies; 9. Concluding remarks.

About the author

Nicholas Allen is Senior Lecturer in Politics in the Department of Politics and International Relations at Royal Holloway, University of London. He is the co-editor of Britain at the Polls 2010 (2011) and is already planning the successor volume for the next general election.Sarah Birch is Professor of Comparative Politics at the University of Glasgow. Her most recent monograph is Electoral Malpractice (2011).

Summary

Public perceptions of political ethics are at the heart of current political debate. Drawing on original survey data, this book offers new insights into how citizens understand political ethics and integrity, and shows how current institutional preoccupations with standards of conduct all too often miss the mark.

Additional text

Advance praise: 'Allen and Birch's excellent new book is far and away the best empirical study of the subject. Their combination of focus group data and survey research enables them to explore public understandings and expectations, which reveal critical differences in how citizens and Members of Parliament view political ethics and integrity, and to show how citizens' lack of confidence in politicians undermines their participation in the political system. A must-read for anyone interested in the politics of political corruption and integrity.' Donald D. Searing, Burton Craige Professor of Political Science, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Product details

• Authors: Nicholas Allen, Nicholas (Royal Holloway Allen, Nicholas Birch Allen, Allen Nicholas, Sarah Birch, Sarah (University of Glasgow) Birch, Birch Sarah
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 02.02.2015
• EAN: 9781107642348
• ISBN: 978-1-107-64234-8
• No. of pages: 341
• Subjects: Education and learning > Adult education/adult education classes; Humanities, art, music > Philosophy > General, dictionaries; Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Political science and political education; POLITICAL SCIENCE / American Government / General, POLITICAL SCIENCE / World / European, United Kingdom, Great Britain, Ethics and moral philosophy, Political science and theory, Constitution: government & the state