Comparative Politics Today is the text that defined the discipline of comparative politics and continues to set the standard for the course with the most current country study chapters and best Web site available. The Eighth Edition of this market-leading text offers the most current and respected introduction to comparative politics available, with several updated country studies and a robust Web site. As in the previous editions, theoretical chapters (Chs. 1 - 7) at the beginning of the book explore the “purpose of government” and provide students with a framework for understanding comparative politics. The theoretical section is followed by 12 individual country studies, written by experts in the politics of those nations.

Table of Contents:
Each chapter concludes with “Key Terms” and “Suggested Readings.” Preface. Acknowledgements. Contributors. I. INTRODUCTION. 1. Issues in Comparative Politics. What is Politics? Governments and the State of Nature. Why Governments? When Does Government Become the Problem? Political Systems. States. Building Community. Fostering Development. Securing Democracy, Human Rights, and Civil Liberties. 2. Comparing Political Systems. Why We Compare. How We Compare. Systems: Environment and Interdependence. Structures and Functions. An Illustrative Comparison: Russia in 1985 and 2002. The Policy Level: Performance, Outcome and Evaluation. II. SYSTEM, PROCESS AND POLICY. 3. Political Culture and Political Socialization. Political Culture. Mapping the Three Levels of Political Culture. Political Socialization. Agents of Political Socialization. Trends in Contemporary Political Cultures. 4. Interest Articulation. Citizen Action. Interest Groups. Access to the Influential. Policy Perspectives on Interest Articulation. Interest Group Development. 5. Interest Aggregation and Political Parties. Personal Interest Aggregation. Institutional Interest Aggregation. Competitive Party Systems and Interest Aggregation. Authoritarian Party Systems. The Military and Interest Aggregation. Trends in Interest Aggregation. Significance of Interest Aggregation. 6. Government and Policymaking. Constitution and Decision Rules. Democracy and Authoritarianism. Separation of Government Powers. Geographic Distribution of Government Power. Limitations on Government Power. Checking the Top Policymakers. Assemblies. Political Executives. The Bureaucracy. 7. Public Policy. Government and What It Does. Extraction. Distribution. Regulation. Community-Building and Symbolic Policies. Outcomes: Domestic Welfare. Domestic Security Outcomes. International Outputs and Outcomes. Political Goods and Values. Strategies for Producing Political Goods. Trade-offs and Opportunity Costs. III. COUNTRY STUDIES. 8. Politics in England, Richard Rose. Current Policy Challenges. The Constraints of History. The Environment of Politics. The Structure of Government. Political Culture and Legitimacy. Political Socialization. Political Participation and Recruitment. Organizing Group Interests. Party System and Electoral Choice. Making and Delivering Government Policies. Policy Outcomes and Changes in Society. 9. Politics in France, Martin A. Schain. Current Policy Challenges. A Historical Perspective. Economy and Society. Constitution and Governmental Structure. Political Culture. Political Socialization. Mass Participation and Voting. Recruitment and Style of Elites. Interest Groups. Political Parties. Policy Processes. The State and Territorial Relations. Performance and Prospects. 10. Politics in Germany, Russell J. Dalton. Current Policy Challenges. The Historical Legacy. Following Two Paths. Social Forces. The Institutions and Structure of Government. Remaking Political Cultures. Political Learning and Political Communication. Citizen Participation. Politics at the Elite Level. Interest Groups. The Party System. The Electoral System. The Policy Process. Policy Performance. The Policy Challenges of Unification. After the Revolution. 11. Politics in Japan, Frances Rosenbluth and Michael F. Thies. Current Policy Challenges. Historical Origins of the Modern Japanese State. The Occupation. Political Institutions and the Policy Process. Electoral Systems and the Nature of Electoral Competition. The Japanese Party System. The Internal Organization of the LDP. Political Participation, Voting Behavior, and Interest Groups. Political Culture and Issue Cleavages. Policy Performance. Concluding Thoughts About Japan's Democracy. 12. Politics in Russia, Thomas F. Remington. Rebuilding Russia. Current Policy Challenges. Historical Legacies. The Contemporary Constitutional Order. Russian Political Culture in the Post-Soviet Period. Political Participation. Interest Articulation: From Statism to Pluralism. Parties and the Aggregation of Interests. The Politics of Economic Reform. Rule Adjudication: Toward the Rule of Law. Russia and the International Community. 13. Politics in China, Melanie Manion. Current Policy Challenges. Historical Setting. Political History of the PRC. Chinese Society. A Communist Party-State. Political Structures. Elite Recruitment. Rule By Law. Political Socialization. Political Culture. Political Participation. Interest Articulation and Aggregation. Policymaking and Implementation. Corruption. Policy Performance. Hong Kong. Taiwan. China's Political Future. 14. Politics in Mexico, Wayne A. Cornelius and Jeffrey Weldon. Current Policy Challenges. Historical Perspectives. Political Culture and Socialization. Political Structures and Institutions. Recruiting the Political Elite. Interest Representation and Political Control. Political Parties. Government Performance. Mexico's Political Future. 15. Politics in Brazil, Frances Hagopian. Current Policy Challenges. Historical Perspectives. Economy and Society. Institutions and Structures of Government. Political Culture. Political Recruitment and Political Participation. Political Representation and Interest Groups. Political Parties and Elections. The Policy Process. Policy Performance. International Relations. Prospects for the Future. 16. Politics in Egypt, Ann Mosely Lesch. Current Policy Challenges. The Importance of Place. The Legacy of History. Institutions and Structure of Government. Party System and Elections. Political Culture and Socialization. Political Participation and Recruitment. Articulation and Aggregation of Interests. Public Policy and Performance. Crisis of Legitimacy. 17. Politics in India, Subrata K. Mitra. Current Policy Challenges. Beyond Indian “Exceptionalism.” Some Basic “Givens” of the Indian Social Structure: From Hierarchy to Democratic Plurality. The Twin Legacy of Colonial Rule and the Anticolonial Movement. Political Socialization, Recruitment, and Political Culture. Political Institutions and Policy Process. The Federal Structure. The Articulation and Aggregation of Interests. The Economy, Welfare, and Regulation. Conclusion: The Resilience of Pluralist Politics in India. 18. Politics in Nigeria, Robert J. Mundt and Oladimeji Aborisade. Current Policy Challenges. The Effects of History. Environmental Potential and Limitations. Political Culture and Subcultures. Political Socialization. Political Recruitment. Political Structure. Interest Articulation. Political Participation. Parties and Elections. Policy Formation and Implementation. Nigeria in Africa and in the World. Prospects for Development. 19. Politics in the United States, Austin Ranney. Current Policy Challenges. The United States Among the World's Nations. The Constitutional System. Political Culture and Socialization. The Mass Communications Media. Political Participation and Recruitment. Recruitment of Leaders. Interest Articulation: Pressure Groups and PACs. The Special Characteristics of American Political Parties. The Policymaking Process in America. Policy Performance. American Exceptionalism: Myth or Reality? Conclusion. Index.