Introducing Comparative Politics: Concepts and Cases in Context

Have you been tempted to teach your intro course thematically, but are afraid that your students will be unable to see how concepts relate to actual countries? Yet sticking with a country by-country approach means never being able to fully address the questions that really engage comparativists. But that has its drawbacks as well. Is there an ideal middle ground between the current text approaches to the field? Carol Ann Drogus and Stephen Orvis, a Latin Americanist and an Africanist by training, offer an innovative hybrid approach to the field. The book is organized thematically around important concepts in comparative politics; in turn, each chapter is framed by the questions of who rules?, what motivates political behavior?, and where and why? Then, within each chapter, the authors have integrated a set of extended case studies based on a selection of ten "core" countries. Serving as consistent geographic touchstones, students get to know these countries as they accumulate conceptual knowledge. The cases are placed in chapters where they make the most sense substantively—not separated from theory or in a separate volume—and vividly illustrate issues in cross-national context. An array of thematic features extends the book's analysis and effectively integrates case material: -Case Studies Forming the backbone of country coverage, these "baseline" cases are substantial enough for students to build foundational knowledge about the ten core countries of Brazil, China, Germany, India, Iran, Japan, Nigeria, Russia, the UK, and the U.S. Because each case is tied to an analytic question or idea, students aren't lost in a sea of detail, but rather see country coverage in real thematic context. -Mini-cases Because no group of core countries can illustrate the full scope of issues in comparative politics, the authors include "mini-cases" throughout the book. These briefer cases focus on topics such as state failure, ethnic violence, and economic differences and feature countries about which most other texts say very little: Afghanistan, Chile, Cuba, Guatemala, Kenya, the Philippines, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Vietnam, Zimbabwe, and others. -In Context These short fact lists—like those students might find in an opinion-leader periodical such as Harper's—take simple data and put them into interesting, often provocative context. The number of military coups in Africa versus Latin America or the change over time in the number of one-party states might surprise students and offer enlightening perspective for thinking through an issue. -Where and Why? In these boxes, students explore why certain events and developments happen in some countries and not in others. Why have some countries been able to develop enduring democratic governments, while others remain or become authoritarian? Or, why do some states have women in powerful political positions while others do not? -Country and Concept The majority of chapters include a table that shows key indicators for the core countries. For instance, in the chapter on the modern state, the authors include such data as each state's year of establishment, its failed state ranking, its government revenue as percentage of GDP, and its rating on the corruption perception index—all important measures of each state's size and nature. Helping students critically read as well as review and study: • Chapter-opener questions • Bolded key terms and glossary • Data-rich tables and figures • Substantive maps • Compelling and instructive photos • End-of-chapter lists that include key concepts, work cited, seminal books and articles, and important online databases

Table of Contents:
Part I. A Framework for Understanding Comparative Politics Introduction The Big Issues Comparative Politics: What Is It? Why Study It? How to Study It? Three Key Questions in Comparative Politics Plan of the Book Key Concepts Works Cited Resources for Further Study The Modern State Characteristics of the Modern State Mini-Case: Somaliland Historical Origins of Modern States Weak and Failed States Mini-Case: Afghanistan Mini-Case: Sierra Leone and Liberia: Collapsed States Case Studies in State Formation Case Study: United Kingdom Case Study: The United States Case Study: Japan Case Study: Germany Case Study: Brazil Case Study: Russia Case Study: Iran Case Study: India Case Study: China Case Study: Nigeria Key Concepts Works Cited Resources for Further Study Conclusion States and Citizens Regimes, Ideologies, and Citizens Case Study: United Kingdom: “Cradle of Democracy” Case Study: Russia Case Study: Nazi Germany Mini-Case: Tanzania’s One-Party Regime Case Study: Brazil: The Bureaucratic Authoritarian State, 1964–1985 Case Study: Nigeria: Neopatrimonial Military Rule, 1966–1979 and 1983–1999 Case Study: The Islamic Republic of Iran, 1979– Conclusion Key Concepts Works Cited Resources for Further Study State and Identity The Debate over Identity Nations and Nationalism Mini-Case: Civic Nationalism in France Case Study: Nationalism in Germany Ethnicity and Religion Case Study: The Strange History of Ethnicity and Religion in Nigeria Mini-Case: Rwanda: Genocide and Ethnic Violence Race Mini-Case: Bolivia: Regional Conflict Case Study: Racial Politics in the United States Case Study: Race in Brazil Conclusion Key Concepts Works Cites Resources for Further Study The State and the Market The Market, Capitalism, and the State Key Economic Debates Globalization: A New World Order or Déjà Vu All Over Again? States and Markets around the World Case Study: The United States: The Free Market Model Case Study: Germany: The Social Market Economy Mini-Case: The European Union, Economic Sovereignty, and Globalization Case Study: Japan: The Developmental State and Its Crisis Case Study: Brazil: Modernizing Authoritarianism, ISI, and Debt Crisis Mini-Case: Chile: Early Neoliberal Reformer Case Study: Nigeria: Oil, Corruption, and Dependence Case Study: The Judiciary” Germany and Brazil Conclusion Key Concepts Works Cited Resources for Further Study Part II. Political Systems and How They Work Political Institutions: Governing Institutions: Executives and Legislatures Case Study: Parliamentary Rule: Britain and India Case Study: Presidentialism: The United States and Brazil Mini-Case: France’s Semipresidentialism Case Study: Russia: Semipresidentialism in a New Democracy with Weak Functions Judiciary Case Study: The Judiciary: Germany and Brazil Bureaucracy Case Study: Bureaucratic Control and Corruption: Japan and India Federalism Case Study: Federalism: Brazil, India, Russia Conclusion Key Concepts Works Cited Resources for Further Study Political Institutions: Participation and Representation Formal Institutions: The Electoral System Formal Institutions: Political Parties and Party Systems Mini-Case: Mexico Mini-Case: France and the Shift toward a Two-Party System Civil Society Case Study: United States: Evolution of a Two-Party, Pluralist System Case Study: Germany: Neocorporatism under Threat Case Study: Japan: A Dominant-Party System, Weak Civil Society, and Electoral Reform Case Study: India: From Dominant Party to Multiparty Democracy Conclusion Key Concepts Works Cited Resources for Further Study Authoritarian Institutions Governing Institutions in Authoritarian Regimes Mini-Case: The “Politics of Survival” in Mobutu’s Zaire Mini-Case: Succession in Egypt and Zimbabwe Elections, Parties, and Civil Society in Authoritarian Regimes Case Study: China: From Communist to Modernizing Authoritarian Rule Case Study: Iran: Theocracy with Limited Participation Case Study: Nigeria: Weakening Institutions under Military Rule Conclusion Key Concepts Works Cited Resources for Further Study Regime Change: Coups, Revolutions, and Democratization The Military in Politics: Coups d’Etat Case Study: Comparing Coups: Brazil and Nigeria Revolution Case Study: Revolution: China and Iran Democratization Mini-Case: Philippines Case Study: Brazil: Model Transition and the Question of Democratic Deepening Case Study: Russia: Transition to Semi-Authoritarian Rule Case Study: Nigeria: Neopatrimonial Transition Conclusion Key Concepts Works Cited Resources for Further Study Part III. Issues and Policies Globalization , Deindustrialization, and Development Wealthy Countries: Deindustrialization and the Welfare State Case Study: United Kingdom: Radical Reform in a Liberal Market Economy Case Study: Germany: Struggling to Reform the Social Market Economy Development and Globalization Mini-Case: South Korea’s Economic Miracle Mini-Case: Where Are the Middle Eastern “Tigers”? Case Study: China: An Emerging Powerhouse Case Study: India: Development and Democracy Case Study: Brazil: Does Globalization Allow a Different Path? Case Study: Iran and Nigeria: Struggling with the Blessings of Oil Conclusion Key Concepts Works Cited Resources for Further Study Public Policy When Markets Fail: Welfare, Health, and the Environment “Welfare”: Social Policy in Comparative Perspective Mini-Case: Sweden’s Welfare State Case Study: Germany: Reforming the Christian Democratic Welfare State Case Study: The United States: Reforming the Liberal Welfare State Case Study: Brazil: Starting a Welfare State in a Developing Economy Health Care and Health Policy Case Study: Germany: Pioneer of Modern Health Policy Case Study: United Kingdom: Reforming the NHS Case Study: U.S. Health Policy: Trials and Tribulations of the Market Model Environmental Problems and Policy Case Study: The United States: Pioneer that Lost Its Way? Case Study: China: Searching for Sustainable Development Case Study: Nigeria and Oil: A Question of Environmental Justice and Sustainable Development Conclusion Key Concepts Works Cited Resources for Further Study Policies and Politics of Inclusion and Clashing Values Religion: Recognition, Autonomy, and the Secular State Mini-Case: Islamic Headscarves in France and Turkey Case Study: United Kingdom: Religious Challenge to Multiculturalism Case Study: India: Secularism in a Religious and Religiously Plural Society Gender: The Continuing Struggle for Equal Social Status, Representation, and Participation Mini-Case: Women in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait Case Study: Russia: Women through Social and Political Transformation Case Study: Iran: Social Gains, Political and Cultural Restrictions, and Islamic Feminism Sexual Orientation: Assimilation or Liberation? Case Study: The United States: Birthplace of a Movement but Limited Policy Change Case Study: Brazil: LGBT Rights in a New Democracy Conclusion Key Concepts Works Cited For Further Study

About the Author :
Carol Ann Drogus is a retired Professor of Government at Hamilton College. She is a specialist on Brazil, religion, and women’s political participation. She taught introduction to comparative politics for more than fifteen years, as well as courses on Latin American politics, gender and politics, and women in Latin America. She has written two books and numerous articles on the political participation of women in religious movements in Brazil. Stephen Orvis is Professor of Government at Hamilton College. He is a specialist on sub-Saharan Africa (Kenya in particular), identity politics, democratic transitions, and the political economy of development. He has been teaching introduction to comparative politics for more than twenty-five years, as well as courses on African politics, nationalism and the politics of identity, political economy of development, and weak states. He has written a book and articles on agricultural development in Kenya, as well as several articles on civil society in Africa and Kenya and is currently doing research on political institutions in Africa.    

Review :
Introducing Comparative Politics is a very user friendly and comprehensive text with an innovative design. It combines a very useful degree of theory and defining concepts with interesting case studies. Its special strength is to interweave the case studies within each chapter, such that the issues are highlighted instead of just the political history. This should allow the student (and professor) to focus on the comparative aspects of the cases, which is the goal of a political science course on comparative politics I thoroughly enjoyed Introducing Comparative Politics. The book’s organizing framework is quite clear and well done, and the mini-cases throughout the text are well-selected I am very impressed with Introducing Comparative Politics: Concepts and Cases in Context. The book is exceptionally well done, and the treatment of the cases throughout the chapters is excellent and makes the book extremely user-friendly. The authors are very clear, accurate, and write in an accessible style