Essential Readings in Comparative Politics

This collection of readings provides an introduction to the classic works and contemporary ideas in comparative politics―and shows how they fit together into a larger understanding of the field.

From Weber’s conception of the state to Marx’s prescription for a Communist utopia, the text offers a foundation in the traditional literature on key political concepts. And just as important, readers will also find divergent, often opposing, recent perspectives on these topics.

Patrick H. O’Neil is Professor of Politics and Government at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington. He received his Ph.D. in Political Science from Indiana University. Professor O’Neil’s teaching and research interests are in the areas of authoritarianism and democratization. His past research focused on eastern Europe, and his current research deals with the Middle East, particularly Iran. His publications include Revolution from Within: The Hungarian Socialist Worker’s Party “Reform Circles” and the Collapse of Communism and Communicating Democracy: The Media and Political Transitions (editor).

Ronald Rogowski is Distinguished Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Los Angeles, and served from 2007 to 2012 as editor-in-chief of the American Political Science Review. He is the author of Rational Legitimacy and Commerce and Coalitions and coauthor of Electoral Systems and the Balance of Consumer-Producer Power. He was elected in 1994 as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and in 2007–08 was a Fellow at the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin. His current research focuses on long-term changes in inequality and effects of regional specialization in the European Union.