This accessible introduction to comparative politics offers a fresh, state-centered perspective on the fundamentals of political science.

Organized thematically around important questions in comparative politics, Introducing Comparative Politics, Fourth Edition by Stephen Orvis and Carol Ann Drogus integrates a set of extended case studies of 11 core countries into the narrative. Serving as touchstones, the cases are set in chapters where they make the most sense topically—not separated from theory or in a separate volume—and vividly illustrate issues in cross-national context. The book’s organization allows instructors flexibility and gives students a more accurate sense of comparative study. In this edition, a brand new chapter on Contentious Politics covers ethnic fragmentation, social movements, civil war, revolutions, and political violence. New case studies on this topic include the Occupy and Tea Party movements in the US; Zapatista rebellion in Mexico; Boko Haram in Nigeria; and; and revolutions in China and Iran. The chapter on States and Identity has been substantially revised to better introduce students to the concept of identity and how countries handle identity-based demands. Case studies include nationalism in Germany; ethnicity in Nigeria; religion in India; race in the US; gender in Iran; and sexual orientation in Brazil. Content on states and markets, political economy, globalization, and development has all been consolidated into a new Part III of the book, focusing in a sustained way on economic issues.

Introduction to Comparative Politics provides students with carefully selected readings that familiarize them with substantive issues and the methodological tools found within comparative politics, a major subfield of political science. The readings introduce students to philosophical and methodological traditions used to explain political phenomena, as well as standard analyses of power, authority, democracy, and authoritarianism. Students learn how analytical methods can provide insight into diverging patterns of domination and conflict within and between states. Additional readings explore various sources of the growing conflict and disorder within and between states and major challenges to the future of states and their citizens. Each chapter includes post-reading questions to stimulate critical thought, reflection, and lively discussion. Introduction to Comparative Politics provides students with a sampling of key themes and methods used to uncover important insights regarding political issues. The text is ideal for courses and programs in political science.

For Introducing Comparative Politics: The Essentials, the driving force is the pluralist, objective stance on introducing students to core concepts in Comparative Politics. Authors Stephen Orvis and Carol Ann Drogus introduce key comparative questions while providing equal strengths and weaknesses of commonly debated theories, structures, and beliefs that push students beyond memorization of country profiles and ever-changing statistics and generate in-class debate over key concepts used in the science of comparative politics. While detailed case studies can go in-depth on specific countries and political systems, Introducing Comparative Politics: The Essentials, distills its country material into paragraph-long examples woven seamlessly into the narrative of the text, increasing diverse global awareness, current-event literacy, and critical-thinking skills.

"Comparative Politics" provides a comprehensive introduction to political systems around the world. It covers methods and theories; the nation-state; institutions; actors and processes; policies; and recent changes.

Principles of Comparative Politics offers the most comprehensive and up-to-date introduction to comparative inquiry, research, and scholarship. In this thoroughly revised Third Edition, students now have an even better guide to cross-national comparison and why it matters. The new edition retains a focus on the enduring questions with which scholars grapple, the issues about which consensus has started to emerge, and the tools comparativists use to get at the complex problems in the field. Among other things, the updates to this edition include a thoroughly-revised chapter on dictatorships that incorporates a discussion of the two fundamental problems of authoritarian rule: authoritarian power-sharing and authoritarian control; a revised chapter on culture and democracy that includes a more extensive examination of cultural modernization theory and a new overview of survey methods for addressing sensitive topics; a new section on issues related to electoral integrity; an expanded assessment of different forms of representation; and a new intuitive take on statistical analyses that provides a clearer explanation of how to interpret regression results. Examples from the gender and politics literature have been incorporated into various chapters, the Problems sections at the end of each chapter have been expanded, a! nd the empirical examples and data on various types of institutions have been updated. Online videos and tutorials are available to address some of the more methodological components discussed in the book. The authors have thoughtfully streamlined chapters to better focus attention on key topics.

Compact and jargon-free, this book focuses on the major issues and themes of comparative politics. It limits its focus to ten major countries so readers won't be overwhelmed by excessive details. KEY TOPICS: Democratization and globalization. Political issues and changes in developing countries. Alternative institutional frameworks. The effects of socioeconomic cleavages. Non-western cultures and values. Electoral systems. New directions in comparative research. MARKET: For anyone wanting a readable introduction to comparative politics and a broader understanding of world politics.

COVID-19 is the most significant global crisis of any of our lifetimes. The numbers have been stupefying, whether of infection and mortality, the scale of public health measures, or the economic consequences of shutdown. Coronavirus Politics identifies key threads in the global comparative discussion that continue to shed light on COVID-19 and shape debates about what it means for scholarship in health and comparative politics. Editors Scott L. Greer, Elizabeth J. King, Elize Massard da Fonseca, and André Peralta-Santos bring together over 30 authors versed in politics and the health issues in order to understand the health policy decisions, the public health interventions, the social policy decisions, their interactions, and the reasons. The book’s coverage is global, with a wide range of key and exemplary countries, and contains a mixture of comparative, thematic, and templated country studies. All go beyond reporting and monitoring to develop explanations that draw on the authors' expertise while engaging in structured conversations across the book.

Explores the importance of comparative politics, discusses different comparative methods, investigates the big issues of today and looks forward to the key challenges for comparative politics over the next century.