Includes bibliographical references and indexes

Elaborating the "new institutionalism" / James G. March & Johan P. Olsen -- Rational choice institutionalism / Kenneth A. Shepsle -- Historical institutionalism / Elizabeth Sanders -- Constructivist institutionalism / Colin Hay -- Network institutionalism / Christopher Ansell -- Old institutionalisms / R. A. W. Rhodes -- The state and state-building / Bob Jessop -- Development of civil society / Jose Harris -- Economic institutions / Michael Moran -- Exclusion, inclusion, and political institutions / Matthew Holden, Jr. -- Analyzing constitutions / Peter M. Shane -- Comparative constitutions / Josep M. Colomer -- American federalism and intergovernmental relations / Alberta M. Sbragia -- Comparative federalism / Brian Galligan -- Territorial institutions / Jean-Claude Thoenig -- Executives: the American presidency / William G. Howell -- Executives in parliamentary government / R. A. W. Rhodes -- Comparative executive-legislative relations / Matthew Søberg Shugart -- Public bureaucracies / Donald F. Kettl -- The welfare state / Jacob S. Hacker -- The regulatory state? / John Braithwaite -- Legislative organization / John M. Carey -- Comparative legislative behavior / Eric M. Uslaner & Thomas Zittel -- Bicameralism / John Uhr -- Comparative local governance / Gerry Stoker -- Judicial institutions / James L. Gibson -- The judicial process and public policy / Kevin T. McGuire -- Political parties in and out of legislatures / John H. Aldrich -- Electoral systems / Shaun Bowler -- Direct democracy / Ian Budge -- International political institutions / Richard Higgott -- International security institutions: rules, tools, schools, or fools? / John S. Duffield -- International economic institutions / Lisa L. Martin -- International NGOs / Ann Florini -- Encounters with modernity / Samuel H. Beer -- About institutions, mainly, but not exclusively, political / Jean Blondel -- Thinking institutionally / Hugh Heclo -- Political institutions--old and new / Klaus von Beyme

The study of political institutions is among the founding pillars of political science. With the rise of the 'new institutionalism', the study of institutions has returned to its place in the sun. This volume provides a comprehensive survey of where we are in the study of political institutions, covering both the traditional concerns of political science with constitutions, federalism and bureaucracy and more recent interest in theory and the constructed nature of institutions. The Oxford Handbook of Political Institutions draws together a galaxy of distinguished contributors drawn from leading universities across the world