Introduction to Politics and Society provides an accessible, up-to-date introduction to, and evaluation of, the contribution of key social theorists to our understanding of power and politics. Shaun Best works through the key concepts and theoretical contributions in the study of politics, dealing with such topics as: power, authority, coercion, surveillance and legitimacy. He: * explains the ideas of Weber, Marx, Foucault, Bauman, Sennett, Habermas, Baudrillard and Giddens with outstanding clarity and precision * traces the central tendencies in the movement from modern to post-modern society * details the significance of 'Third Way' politics and its strengths and weaknesses * places the decline of organized politics and the development of new social movements in the proper historical and theoretical context Unfussy and unpretentious, the book draws on examples from popular political culture in order to convey how politics operates in the contemporary world. Well chosen examples illustrate the meaning of theories and show the relevance of central theoretical debates.