Comparative Politics: Interests, Identities, and Institutions in a Changing Global Order

Now in its third edition, this unique textbook remains a favorite for introductory undergraduate courses in comparative politics. It features twelve theoretically and historically grounded country studies that show how the three major concepts of comparative analysis―interests, identities, and institutions―shape the politics of nations and regions. Written in a style free of heavy-handed jargon and organized to address the concerns of contemporary comparativists, this textbook provides students with the conceptual tools and historical background they need to understand the politics of our complex world. This third edition introduces completely new chapters on the European Union, France, and Nigeria.

Jeffrey Kopstein is the author of The Politics of Economic Decline in East Germany 1945–1989 (1997) and numerous articles in scholarly journals, books, and the press. He is currently Director of the Centre for European Studies at the University of Toronto.

Mark Lichbach is Professor and Chair of Government and Politics at the University of Maryland, College Park. He is the author or editor of many books, including the award-winning The Rebel's Dilemma, and of numerous articles in scholarly journals.