Includes bibliographical references and index.

Part One. Egalitarian-Liberalism -- Ch. 1. Justice as fairness / John Rawls -- Ch. 2. The maximin principle / John C. Harsanyi -- Ch. 3. Primary goods reconsidered / Richard J. Arneson -- Ch.4. Equality of what? / Alex Callinicos -- Ch. 5. A question for egalitarians / John Kekes -- Part Two. Libertarianism -- Ch. 6. The entitlement theory of justice / Robert Nozick -- Ch.7. How liberty upsets patterns / Eric Mack -- Ch. 8. On rectification in Nozick's minimal state / Robert E. Litan -- Ch. 9 Justice as mutual advantage / David Gauthier -- Ch. 10. A critique of justice as reciprocity / Allen Buchanan -- Part Three Communitarianism -- Ch. 11. The procedural republic and the unencumbered self / Michael J. Sandel -- Ch.12. Liberal individualism and liberal neutrality / Will Kymlicka -- Ch. 13. Complex equality / Michael Walzer -- Part Four. Republicanism -- Ch. 14. Freedom as antipower / Philip Pettit -- Ch. 15. The republican critique of liberalism / Alan Patten -- Ch. 16 Cosmopolitan republicanism / James Bohman -- Part Five. Feminism -- Ch. 17. The public/private dichotomy / Susan Moller Okin -- Ch. 18. The ideal of community and the politics of difference / Iris Marion Young -- Ch. 19. Recognition of redistribution? / Nancy Fraser -- Part Six. Deliberative Democracy -- Ch. 20. The deliberative model / Iris Marion Young -- Ch. 21. Deliberative democracy beyond process / Amy Gutmann and Dennis Thompson -- Ch. 22. Legitimacy and economy in deliberative democracy / John S. Dryzek -- Part Seven. Multiculturalism -- Ch. 23. The politics of recognition / Charles Taylor -- Ch. 24. Equality of difference / Bhikhu Parekh -- Ch. 25. Liberalism and multiculturalism / Chandran Kukathas.

Contemporary Political Theory provides an accessible introduction to the key works of major contemporary political theorists. Key theorists and writers include John Rawls, Robert Nozick, Michael Walzer, Michael Sandel, Susan Okin, Will Kymlicka, Iris Marion Young, Charles Taylor, Nancy Fraser and John Dryzek.

The readings are organized thematically into seven sections on egalitarian-liberalism, libertarianism, communitarianism, republicanism, feminism, deliberative democracy, and multiculturalism. A substantial introduction is provided to each to identify the main issues and the significance of the carefully selected excerpts that follow.

The result is a complete but concise guide through the literature and major topics and areas of debate in contemporary political theory and political philosophy.