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As traditional ideologies evolve -- going through the process of breaking down & regrouping -- new ideologies (such as green perspectives) have emerged, illustrating the similarities that exist among all political ideologies. Though many have argued that "liberalism" has become the dominant political ideology of the 20th century, it must be remembered that conservatism, feminism, & nationalism remain strong. Meanwhile, recent ideologies such as postmodernism & poststructuralism dominate contemporary thought. This scenario leads to four conclusions: (1) Disillusionment with the state may cause conflict between ideology & the nation-state; however, nationalisms will continue to occupy a central position among ideologies. (2) The difference between "full" & "thin" ideologies has become more apparent. (3) Though essential, political ideologies have become more fragmented. (4) It is evident that ideologies can take on a variety of cultural forms, which are apparent in contemporary advertising, literature, & film. K. Larsen

Characterizing various approaches according to "elective affinities" shared in practice, considered is how historical institutionalism defines research agendas & develops explanations. Substantive agendas, temporal arguments (historical process), & attention to context & configuration characterize historical institutionalism; these aspects are detailed to identify distinctive core strategies & discern the advantages & limits of the approach relative to others employed in empirical political science. In conclusion, broad issues of empirical research method & strategies of knowledge cumulation are addressed. J. Zendejas

The present-day relevance of Alexis de Toqueville's 1830s notion of "American exceptionalism" is evaluated, particularly its application to explanations of the weakness of working-class radicalism & class awareness in the US. It is concluded that the rigid class stratification & consequent political cleavages of advanced industrial, but formerly feudal, countries are becoming increasingly similar to the US system, with its weaker status structure & lack of a feudal history. Reasons why the US is exceptional in never having developed a significant socialist movement or labor party are examined from Marxist & other perspectives, & comparisons made with the European political party structure, particularly in terms of its close links with economic & class structures. It is concluded that the US is no longer as exceptional politically as it was at the time of Toqueville's analysis. 85 References. K. Hyatt Stewart

The present-day relevance of Alexis de Toqueville's 1830s notion of "American exceptionalism" is evaluated, particularly its application to explanations of the weakness of working-class radicalism & class awareness in the US. It is concluded that the rigid class stratification & consequent political cleavages of advanced industrial, but formerly feudal, countries are becoming increasingly similar to the US system, with its weaker status structure & lack of a feudal history. Reasons why the US is exceptional in never having developed a significant socialist movement or labor party are examined from Marxist & other perspectives, & comparisons made with the European political party structure, particularly in terms of its close links with economic & class structures. It is concluded that the US is no longer as exceptional politically as it was at the time of Toqueville's analysis. 85 References. K. Hyatt Stewart

Discusses the value of field experimentation in political science. The key features of experiments are elaborated, demonstrating why well-conducted experiments are more persuasive arbiters of causality than comparable nonexperimental research. Issues arising in the design & analysis of experiments in the field & laboratory are addressed, scrutinizing literature featuring both types of investigation. Applications for field experimentation are considered before attending to the leading criticisms against experimentation centered on the inability to manipulate key political variables, cost & logistics, external & internal validity, generation of contradictory results, production of no clear-cut sense of causality in some cases, the capacity to narrow the scope of inquiry, & ethics. These criticisms are found wanting, & it is argued that randomized intervention into real-world settings should be a prominent methodology. J. Zendejas