With over 520 million followers, Buddhism is now the world's fourth largest religion. Over the last seventy years or so there has been a growing interest in Buddhism, and it continues to capture the imagination of many in the West, who see it as either an alternative or a supplement to their own religious beliefs. For complex cultural and historical reasons, ethics has not received as much attention in traditional Buddhist thought as it has in the West.

In this Very Short Introduction, Damien...

Can capitalism have moral foundations? Though this question may seem strange in today's world of vast economic disparities and widespread poverty, discussions originating with the birth of capitalism add a critical perspective to the current debate on the efficacy and morality of capitalist economies. Authors Daniel Halliday and John Thrasher use this question to introduce classical political philosophy as a framework by which to evaluate the ethics of capitalism today. They revisit and recon...

From agriculture to security, the policies of the European Union have wide-reaching consequences for the EU's member states and citizens, and for the wider world. Policy-Making in the European Union begins with an overview of EU policy-making as a whole, defining the processes and institutions involved, and introducing the analytical approaches that are necessary for understanding them. A wide range of policy areas are then explored in detail, including thesingle market, environmental policy,...

Comparative European Politics: Distinct Democracies, Common Challenges provides a complete guide to European politics through a comparative lens. The authors explore not only the 27 European Union member states, but also other European systems such as the UK, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, to help readers understand the patterns that have shaped modern Europe. Organised thematically, the book is structured in three parts, beginning with elections and representati...

The Directions series has been written with students in mind. The ideal guide as they approach the subject for the first time, this book will help them: - Gain a complete understanding of the topic: just the right amount of detail conveyed clearly- Understand the law in context: with scene-setting introductions and highlighted case extracts, the practical importance of the law becomes clear - Identify when and how to evaluate the law critically: they'll be introduced to the key areas of debat...