Originally published in 1983, this book locates the behavioural approach to the study of politics in its social science and historical context. The text reviews the findings in a number of fields - public opinion, electoral behaviour, political participation, policy outputs, political recruitment, political welfare and socialisation

Dennis Kavanagh is emeritus professor of politics and communications at Liverpool University. Before then he held senior posts at the universities of Manchester and Nottingham. He has also been a visiting professor at Stanford, California and the European University Institute in Florence. He has written or edited over 30 books, including the Nuffield series of studies of British general elections with Sir David Butler between 1974 and 2005, and with Philip Cowley for the elections between 2005 and 2017.

1.The Study of Political Behaviour 2. Public Opinion 3 Political Socialisation 4. Political Culture 5. Elections and Voting Behaviour 6. Politics and the Socio-Economic Environment 7. Political Leaders 8. What Governments Do 9. Political Participation and Political Democracy 10. Assessment