Introduction to Comparative Politics

Written by a distinguished group of comparativists, this innovative and accessible introductory text surveys 12 key countries organized by their level of political development: established democracies, transitional democracies, and non-democracies. The country studies illuminate four comparative themes in a global context: 1. The world of statesuthe interaction of states within the international order. 2. Governing the economyuthe role of the state in economic management. 3. The democratic ideauthe pressure for more democracy and the challenges of democratization. 4. The politics of collective identitiesuthe political impact of diverse attachments and sources of group identity. 

 

Part I: INTRODUCTION. 1. Introducing Comparative Politics (Mark Kesselman, Joel Krieger, and William Joseph) Part II: CONSOLIDATED DEMOCRACIES. 2. Britain (Joel Krieger). 3. France (Mark Kesselman). 4. Germany (Christopher S. Allen). 5. Japan (Shigeko N. Fukai and Haruhiro Fukui). 6. India (Atul Kohli and Amrita Basu). 7. The United States (Louis DeSipio). Part III: TRANSITIONAL DEMOCRACIES. 8. Russia (Joan DeBardeleben). 9. Brazil (Alfred P. Montero). 10. Mexico (Merilee S. Grindle). 11. Nigeria (Darren Kew and Peter Lewis). Part IV: AUTHORITARIAN REGIMES. 12. Iran (Ervand Abrahamian). 13. China (William A. Joseph).