Introduction to Comparative Politics

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.

Joel D. Wolfe is a professor of political science at the University of Cincinnati. He holds a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Chicago and A.B. in political science from the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Wolfe is the author of Power and Privatization: Choice and Competition in the Remaking of British Democracy; Workers, Participation, and Democracy: Internal Politics in the British Union Movement; and coeditor with Richard E. Foglesong of The Politics of Economic Adjustment: Pluralism, Corporatism, and Privatization.