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Article on the use of the media of religious propaganda as newsworthy to attract the attention of readers. The author analyzes the goals, objectives and directions of state regulation of the media for the socialization of religious propaganda. Religion is considered in the article as an instrument of social control of citizen's behavior.

The status of contemporary studies of multi-level governance, especially within the European Union, is explored. Overviews of the circumstances that made multi-level governance an integral component of the European Union's political systems during the late 1980s & of Gary Marks' (1992; 1993) seminal explorations of the notion of multi-level governance are provided. Seven issues concerning multi-level governance that European Union studies should address are highlighted including the need to establish a consensual definition of multi-level governance, the issue of whether multi-level governance encourages hierarchy within states, & the influence of multi-level governance upon states' democratic accountability. Several articles that investigate these issues are introduced. J. W. Parker

An introductory chapter notes the historical impact of clergy on American politics & suggests that the emphasis on morality that is often attached to political issues places clergy in a unique position to influence policy debates & shape democratic norms. Special attention is given to what compels today's clergy to become involved in politics. The belief of some clergy that politics cannot be separated from daily life, & hence the church, is not universally shared within the religious community & political involvement can be risky for clergy in terms of both their livelihood & legitimacy. The nature of current morality politics is discussed, along with the ability of religious leaders to shape the interplay of religion & politics; the influence of the "social theologies" of different religious traditions on political choices; how personal contexts like race or gender affect clergy's decisions about participating in politics; & the degree to which clergy's political statements influence the views of church members & democratic politics in general. J. Lindroth

An introductory chapter notes the historical impact of clergy on American politics & suggests that the emphasis on morality that is often attached to political issues places clergy in a unique position to influence policy debates & shape democratic norms. Special attention is given to what compels today's clergy to become involved in politics. The belief of some clergy that politics cannot be separated from daily life, & hence the church, is not universally shared within the religious community & political involvement can be risky for clergy in terms of both their livelihood & legitimacy. The nature of current morality politics is discussed, along with the ability of religious leaders to shape the interplay of religion & politics; the influence of the "social theologies" of different religious traditions on political choices; how personal contexts like race or gender affect clergy's decisions about participating in politics; & the degree to which clergy's political statements influence the views of church members & democratic politics in general. J. Lindroth

"Party Politics and LGBT Issues in the United States" published on by Oxford University Press.

An introductory chapter looks at how emerging theories of minority rights & multiculturalism affect democratic citizenship, as well as how emerging theories of citizenship & civic virtue affect the rights/status of ethnocultural minorities. The complexity of the relationship between minority rights & citizenship is emphasized. The literature on ethnic-conflict management is drawn upon to explore policy options available to states with inter-ethnic tensions. Different kinds of national, immigrant, religious & sui generic minority groups are examined, along with the varied ways groups pursue respect for their cultural or religious distinctiveness within liberal democracies. Key concerns of minority groups are described as loss of equal citizenship status, identity fragmentation, erosion of civic virtue/participation, & a weakening of the bonds of social cohesion/political unity. The chapters in this volume shed light on current debates by drawing upon varied academic disciplines & intellectual traditions to examine a broad range of groups, rights, & citizenship ideals. J. Lindroth

Offers an overview of comparative empirical research on the ideologies & issues characterizing the 15 party systems of the European Union member states, 1945-1998, & outlines some directions for further research. Prominent theses regarding the "decline of ideology" & "cleavage freezing" are evaluated & trends in left-right polarization are noted across various elections. Parties are grouped into 10 "party families" whose policy positions are classified & relative strengths are assessed. The rise of two new issues -- environmental protection & administrative efficiency -- as key policy issues for all parties since the 1960s is noted. Tables. K. Hyatt Stewart

"This chapter reflects on political public relations. It first characterizes political public relations as a central component of political communication by political actors. Moreover, the chapter argues that political public relations are not only about communication and involve a wider group of stakeholders such as lobby groups, think tanks, and party donors. The chapter then gives an overview of the literature on political public relations and defines it by suggesting a continuum of stakeholder engagement. Furthermore, several domains of political public relations are discussed in detail, i.e. news management and agenda building, issues management, event management, crisis management, assessment in political public relations, and digital communication. Finally, the authors call for a more systematic application of public relations theories and concepts that have seldom or never been applied in the context of political public relations." (publisher's description)

"Judgment as the Imagination of Futures: Practical Rationality in Decisions on Complex Issues" published on by Oxford University Press.

"This chapter discusses attitudinal effects in political communication. It is argued that mass media are most influential in shaping political attitudes compared to direct experience and interpersonal communication. Furthermore, the role of message (e.g., tone, framing) and source characteristics (e.g., credibility) as well as elaborative vs. peripheral information processing is discussed. Based on a review of relevant studies, the chapter distinguishes between media effects on attitudes towards the political system (e.g., media malaise hypothesis) and towards parties, candidates, and issues and discusses respective findings. The chapter also critically reflects on factors moderating or mediating attitudinal effects as well as on methodological issues. Although attitudinal effects of political communication have been shown by numerous studies, the author argues that scholars should especially take a dose look at media effects on party identification and issue preference in the future and more frequently use innovative research designs to further improve our knowledge of attitudinal effects in political communication." (publisher's description)

Collective action against neoliberalism, & promoting a different model of globalization, has grown considerably in both the southern & northern hemispheres. This chapter considers how global issues affect civic & political life at the local level, looking at citizens' organizations in the British cities of Glasgow, Scotland, & Bristol, England, which differ considerably in their social & political histories & present states. The aim is to assess the extent to which globalization issues represent a distinctive set of policy interests for the organizations; translate into a distinctive set of collective actions; attract organizations with a distinctive profile; & may be associated with specific social movement dynamics. The study is based on interviews with 124 organizational representatives in Glasgow & 134 in Bristol. The findings indicate that mobilizations on global issues constitute the focal point of specific alliances, based on specific identity bonds in British civil society. While global issues are pervasive & distinctive, they are not equally appealing to the whole spectrum of civic organizations. Looking at how interest leads to action on specific events, participation in "global inequality" actions is positively correlated to interest in global issues & participation in local events on issues such as ethnicity. Differences between the two cities suggest that the embeddedness of actions on global issues is strongly mediated by the features of local civil societies & political systems. Tables. J. Stanton