Phil Howard INFORMATION · TECHNOLOGY · SOCIETY

The internet is now a mainstay of contemporary political life and captivates researchers from across the social sciences.

From debates about its impact on parties and election campaigns following momentous presidential contests in the United States, to concerns over international security, privacy, and surveillance in the post-9/11, post-7/7 environment; from the rise of blogging as a threat to the traditional model of journalism, to controversies at the international level over how and if the internet should be governed by an entity such as the United Nations; from the new repertoires of collective action open to citizens, to the massive programs of public management reform taking place in the name of e-government, internet politics, and policy are continually in the headlines.

The Routledge Handbook of Internet Politics is a collection of over 30 chapters dealing with the most significant scholarly debates in this rapidly growing field of study. Organized in four broad sections: Institutions, Behavior, Identities, and Law and policy, the Handbook summarizes and criticizes contemporary debates while pointing out new departures. A comprehensive set of resources, it provides linkages to established theories of media and politics, political communication, governance, deliberative democracy, and social movements, all within an interdisciplinary context. The contributors form a strong international cast of established and junior scholars.

This is the first publication of its kind in this field; a helpful companion to students and scholars of politics, international relations, communication studies, and sociology.

Andrew Chadwick, Royal Holloway, University of London, & Philip N. Howard, University of Washington

What People Say

In its impressive scope, the Handbook shows the resonance of internet politics as a field of study… The rigor of this scholarly work suggests that a positive orientation is not the product of blind optimism but rather the result of serious inquiry into the broad intersection of the internet and politics.

Robert Klotz
International Journal of Press/Politics

Exploring new territories in political communication, public opinion, citizenship studies and social movements … This rigorous work will certainly serve as an excellent starting point for a growing number of graduate students who are considering doing research in the field … Scholars in the social sciences will find here an essential update on the state of internet studies, which have now become almost everybody’s business.

Professor Yves Laberge
Political Studies Review

Without a doubt the handbook is an excellent reference work on internet politics in its broadest sense.

David Stuart
Online Information Review

The Handbook of Internet Politics is a timely contribution… Its deliberative and inclusive approach to the topic makes it recommended reading

Johannes Fritz
Political Studies Review

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Democracy
Technology and Society
Public Policy
Research Methods
International Affairs