This volume of the "Research in Political Sociology" series explores the state of political sociology at the beginning of the 21st century. The collection offers works that show significant advances in the study of the social roots of all things "political" in society. As in prior volumes, this collection demonstrates the richness of both theoretical and methodological studies in political sociology. The contributions brought together in this volume address the continued significance of questions related to public policy, public opinion, civil society, voting and social movements. The readings offer important summaries of prior work in the field, and in some cases construct an important synthesis of current research, so as to prepare a broader research agenda in the study of social movements, public policy, racism, and the civil sphere. The volume presents important questions about methodological issues. The collection includes examples of current discussion relating to the qualitative study of protest movements, and the importance of a comparative-historical approach. The chapters also show how the tools of the field are currently expanding our understanding of important areas of political sociology, such as public policy response to business behaviour and the politics of crime.