Policy Press

Political insights and biography

The actions of individuals in particular contexts can inform the wider dicussion of ideology and social justice.

This small but growing collection of biographies offers insights from people who have changed the world.

You may also be interested in our Global Social Challenge on democracy, power and governance.

Showing 1-12 of 19 items.

Victim-Centred Peacemaking

Colombia’s Santos-FARC Peace Process

This book explores how survivors of political violence in Colombia have asserted themselves and challenged those in power. Drawing on interviews and various academic disciplines, the book proposes a victim-centered approach to transitional justice, valuable for both researchers and practitioners.

Bristol Uni Press
  • ForthcomingHardbackGBP 85.00 Pre-order
  • Currently not availableEPUBGBP 29.99

Children, Childhoods and Global Politics

Written by an international list of contributors, this book presents highly nuanced accounts of children and childhoods across global political time. The analysis demonstrates how international relations is quite deeply invested in a particular rendering of childhood as, primarily, a time of innocence, vulnerability and incapacity.

Bristol Uni Press

Inter-Organizational Relations and World Order

Re-Pluralizing the Debate

Bringing together a team of experts, this volume sheds new light on inter-organizational relations in world politics. It demonstrates that, just as inter-organizations relations themselves are diverse and complex, research on this topic should also be pluralistic in order to draw new and valuable results and insights.

Bristol Uni Press

Troubled Pasts in Europe

Strategies and Recommendations for Overcoming Challenging Historic Legacies

Based on the findings of a major research project, this book investigates how European societies confront their troubled pasts. The text explores what measures can be taken and which strategies endorsed to overcome difficult historic legacies in seven European states, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Cyprus and Poland.

Bristol Uni Press

The Trouble with Jokes

Humour and Offensiveness in Contemporary Culture and Politics

Exploring the relationship between humour and offensiveness, this book delves into offensive jokes, their impact, and the dark side of laughter. It blends cultural analysis, politics, and philosophy to offer an antidote to positive thinking and guide readers through offensive humour.

Bristol Uni Press

Richard Titmuss

A Commitment to Welfare

This is the first full-length biography of Richard Titmuss, a pioneer of social policy research and an influential figure in Britain’s post-war welfare debates.

Policy Press

The Passionate Economist

How Brian Abel-Smith Shaped Global Health and Social Welfare

This is the first biography of Abel-Smith. It takes a historical perspective to analyse the development of health and social welfare systems since the 1950s, exposing the critical impact of long-running debates on poverty and state responsibility, especially in Britain.

Policy Press

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

Biographical Research and the Meanings of Mothering

Life Choices, Identities and Methods

What does mothering mean in different cultures and societies? This book extensively applies biographical and narrative research methods to mothering from international perspectives. Considering self-care, rapport, trust and self-reflection, the collection advances methodological practice in the study of mothers, carers and childless women’s lives.

Policy Press

Reluctance in World Politics

Why States Fail to Act Decisively

This book develops a concept and a theory of reluctance in world politics. Applying it to regional crisis management by leading powers, it finds that reluctance emerges when governments fail to devise clear foreign policy preferences and face competing international pressures.

Bristol Uni Press

The Civil Condition in World Politics

Beyond Tragedy and Utopianism

Bringing together an international team of contributors, this volume draws on international political theory and intellectual history to rethink the problem of a pluralistic world order.

Bristol Uni Press

Claiming and Contesting Representation in Mexico

Meanings, Practices and Settings

Through innovative conceptual work and original case studies, the book explores important trends in Mexican politics and governance through the lens of representation, including who speaks and stands for whom, on what grounds and in what domains and the challenges they face.

Bristol Uni Press