"The book is sure to be a classic for scholars focused on advanced research on women, gender, institutions, and politics, and for those studying women's policy apparatus in government as it connects with women's movements in the majority of nations (i.e., in the non-Western world). Summing Up: Highly recommended." —CHOICE "[A] long awaited culmination of a 15- year-long international collaborative ... Read moreproject on comparative state feminism which was initiated by two prominent feminist political scientists.... This book is a celebrated finale of this collective odyssey that addresses essential questions of women’s movement activism and political change in Western democracies through a comprehensive comparative analysis of the effectiveness of women’s policy agencies and women’s movements on a range of important policy issues. The book presents a unique combination of conceptual sophistication, first-hand original data, wide-ranging review of interconnected literatures, methodological rigor, and thought-provoking theoretical conclusions. This book will be widely read by scholars and students interested in gender politics, institutional and policy change, social movements, and democratization.... The study’s conclusions are very important and timely." —The Journal of Politics Show Less