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

Part I. A Framework for Understanding Comparative Politics
1. 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
• Where and Why
Key Concepts
Works Cited
Resources for Further Study

2. The Modern State
Characteristics of the Modern State
• In Context: New States and the United Nations
Mini-Case: Somaliland
Historical Origins of Modern States
Weak and Failed States
• Where and Why: Failed States
Mini-Case: Afghanistan
Mini-Case: Sierra Leone and Liberia: Collapsed States
Case Studies in State Formation
• Country and Concept: The Modern State
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

3. 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
• Country and Concept: The Modern State
Key Concepts
Works Cited
Resources for Further Study

4. 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
• In Context: Race and Ethnicity in Latin America
Conclusion
Key Concepts
Works Cites
Resources for Further Study

5. The State and the Market
The Market, Capitalism, and the State
• Country and Concept: The State and the Market
Key Economic Debates
• Where and Why: The Successes and Failures of SAPs
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
• In Context: Central Banks
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
• In Context: Nigeria as an Oil Exporter
Case Study: The Judiciary” Germany and Brazil
Conclusion
Key Concepts
Works Cited
Resources for Further Study

Part II. Political Systems and How They Work
6. Political Institutions: Governing
Institutions: Executives and Legislatures
Case Study: Parliamentary Rule: Britain and India
• Where and Why: Parliaments and Presidents
Case Study: Presidentialism: The United States and Brazil
Mini-Case: France’s Semipresidentialism
Case Study: Russia: Semipresidentialism in a New Democracy with Weak Functions
• In Context: Semipresidential Systems
Judiciary
Case Study: The Judiciary: Germany and Brazil
Bureaucracy
Case Study: Bureaucratic Control and Corruption: Japan and India
• Where and Why: Explaining Corruption
Federalism
• In Context: Federalism Mini-Case: South Africa
Case Study: Federalism: Brazil, India, Russia
Conclusion
• Country and Concept: Snapshot of Governing Institutions
Key Concepts
Works Cited
Resources for Further Study

7. Political Institutions: Participation and Representation
Formal Institutions: The Electoral System
• Where and Why: Women in Power
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
• In Context: FPTP
Case Study: Germany: Neocorporatism under Threat
Case Study: Japan: A Dominant-Party System, Weak Civil Society, and Electoral Reform
• In Context: SNTV
Case Study: India: From Dominant Party to Multiparty Democracy
Conclusion
• Country and Concept: Parties, Elections, and Civil Society
Key Concepts
Works Cited
Resources for Further Study

8. Authoritarian Institutions
• Where and Why: Authoritarian versus Democratic Rule
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
• In Context: The Decline of Communism
Case Study: Iran: Theocracy with Limited Participation
• In Context: Iran and the Middle East
Case Study: Nigeria: Weakening Institutions under Military Rule
• In Context: Authoritarian Rule in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1970–2000
Conclusion
• Country and Concept: Authoritarian Rule
Key Concepts
Works Cited
Resources for Further Study

9. Regime Change: Coups, Revolutions, and Democratization
The Military in Politics: Coups d’Etat
• Where and Why: Coups in Africa: Colonialism or Contagion?
Case Study: Comparing Coups: Brazil and Nigeria
• In Context: Military Coups in Latin America by Decade
• In Context: Military Coups in Africa by Decade
Revolution
Case Study: Revolution: China and Iran
Democratization
Mini-Case: Philippines
Case Study: Brazil: Model Transition and the Question of Democratic Deepening
• In Context: Freedom in Brazil and Latin America
Case Study: Russia: Transition to Semi-Authoritarian Rule
Case Study: Nigeria: Neopatrimonial Transition
• In Context: Freedom in Africa
Conclusion
Key Concepts
Works Cited
Resources for Further Study

Part III. Issues and Policies
10. 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
• In Context: Government and Growth in the EU
Development and Globalization
Mini-Case: South Korea’s Economic Miracle
Mini-Case: Where Are the Middle Eastern “Tigers”?
• Where and Why: Asian Miracle versus African Malaise
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

11. Public Policy When Markets Fail: Welfare, Health, and the Environment
“Welfare”: Social Policy in Comparative Perspective
Mini-Case: Sweden’s Welfare State
• Where and Why: The Development of Welfare States
Case Study: Germany: Reforming the Christian Democratic Welfare State
• In Context: The German 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
• Country and Concept: Welfare, Health, and the Environment
• In Context: Health Care in Wealthy Countries, 2005
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

12. Policies and Politics of Inclusion and Clashing Values
Religion: Recognition, Autonomy, and the Secular State
Mini-Case: Islamic Headscarves in France and Turkey
• Where and Why: Explaining Policy Differences toward Muslims in Europe
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
• In Context: Women in Iran and the Middle East
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
• Country and Concept: Policies and Politics of Inclusion and Clashing Values
Key Concepts
Works Cited
For Further Study

ANCILLARIES BEYOND COMPARISON

Created by Amy Forster Rothbart, University of Wisconsin– Madison

A student companion website, IntroducingCP.cqpress.com, is available, organized by chapter and featuring summaries, quiz questions, interactive flashcards, crossword puzzles, and Web links.

A full set of online instructor's resources is available as well, including a test bank of more than 600 questions, 150 PowerPoint lecture slides, graphics from the text, discussion questions, and sample syllabi.

Contending Perspectives in Comparative Politics: A Reader