Conflict, security and peace

This collection explores the roles of emotion, violence, uncertainty, identity and positionality in doing research in and on conflict zones, as well as the complexity of methodological choices. It presents a nuanced view of conflict research that addresses the uncomfortable spaces of conflict research and the need for reflection on these issues.

After a meteoric rise, China's growth has come to a screeching halt. Salvatore Babones provides an up-to-date assessment of how China's economic problems are undermining its challenge to the Western-dominated world order. He tells how liberal individualism has become the leitmotif of American Tianxia.

Has there ever been a period in modern history when democratic politics seemed more unpredictable or unruly? Matthew Flinders ranges expertly across architecture, art, fell running and fairy tales in an attempt to understand the emerging democratic landscape. This refreshing and stimulating book seeks to provoke and inform in equal measure.

Takes a long term view on the range of institutional and operational options available to the UK, EU and other international institutions seeking to influence Brexit negotiations and outcomes.

This valuable book offers a distinct and critical showcase of emerging forms of discovery for policy-making drawing on the insights of some of the world’s leading authorities in public policy analysis.

Reclaiming Social Democracy is the first major reappraisal of social democracy on the centre-left since the election of Jeremy Corbyn. With a foreword by Lord Hain, it examines its foundational principles and identifies the values needed to find a route back to political credibility for Labour.

Based on his personal experience at the heart of government and the voluntary sector, Nick Raynsford, a former MP, Minister and campaigner, explores making and implementing policy and legislation. He gives an ‘insider’s view’ on a range of events, some not previously made public, making a fascinating bridge across the policy and practice divide.

Using case studies from around the world, Transparency and the open society surveys the adoption of transparency globally, providing an essential framework for assessing its likely performance as a policy and the steps that can be taken to make it more effective.

This is the first book to analyse the use of rape as a tactic of war and international progress away from tacit acceptance to active rejection of this violation of international law. Including powerful testimonies of victims, it is a much-needed volume for academic and professional communities.

Informed by twenty years’ experience as a school governor, Jacqueline Baxter considers what implications the 2014 ‘Trojan Horse’ scandal has had for the future of a democratic system of education in England.

Human Rights Watch’s annual World Report 2016 highlights the armed conflict in Syria, international drug reform, drones and electronic mass surveillance and is a must-read for anyone interested in the fight to protect human rights in every corner of the globe.

Anthony Crosland’s The Future of Socialism (1956) provided a creed for governments of the centre left. Now Peter Hain revisits this classic text and presents a stimulating political prospectus for today. It should be read by everyone interested in the future of the left.