Comparative Politics : Integrating Theories, Methods, and Cases

Why do countries have different institutions and forms of government? Why do some social revolutions succeed and endure while others fail? Why are some societies subjected to terrorism and not others? An engaging and accessible introduction to the subject, Comparative Politics: Integrating Theories, Methods, and Cases gives students the methodological tools they need to answer the "big questions" in the field. The authors introduce methods early in the text and integrate them throughout in order to help students develop a systematic way of thinking about comparative politics.

FEATURES

* A unique structure offers the best of thematic and country-by-country approaches. Fifteen succinct thematic chapters--organized around the "big questions" in the field--are followed by a separate section at the end of the book offering full-length profiles and case studies for twelve countries

* Each chapter integrates six standalone country case studies in "Case in Context" boxes; these features tie into the narrative, pose questions, and point students to the full case discussions in the country profiles

* "Thinking Comparatively" boxes introduce new methodological tools and help students apply the theories and concepts covered in each chapter

* "Insights" boxes provide abstracts on some of the leading works in the field

J. Tyler Dickovick is Associate Professor of Politics at Washington and Lee University. He is the author of Decentralization and Recentralization in Developing Countries: Comparative Studies from Africa and Latin America (2011) and has published articles in many journals.

Jonathan Eastwood is Associate Professor of Sociology at Washington and Lee University. He is the author of several articles and book chapters and of The Rise of Nationalism in Venezuela (2006).