Introducing Comparative Politics

by Drogus, Carol Ann

• ISBN13: 9780872893436
• ISBN10: 087289343X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-09-01
• Publisher: Cq Pr

Summary

Have you been tempted to teach your intro course thematically, but are afraid that your students will be unable to see how concepts relate to actual countries? Yet sticking with a country by-country approach means never being able to fully address the questions that really engage comparativists. But that has its drawbacks as well. Is there an ideal middle ground between the current text approaches to the field? Carol Ann Drogus and Stephen Orvis, a Latin Americanist and an Africanist by training, offer an innovative hybrid approach to the field. The book is organized thematically around important concepts in comparative politics; in turn, each chapter is framed by the questions of who rules?, what motivates political behavior?, and where and why? Then, within each chapter, the authors have integrated a set of extended case studies based on a selection of ten core countries. Serving as consistent geographic touchstones, students get to know these countries as they accumulate conceptual knowledge. The cases are placed in chapters where they make the most sense substantively-not separated from theory or in a separate volume-and vividly illustrate issues in cross-national context. An array of thematic features extends the book's analysis and effectively integrates case material: -Case Studies Forming the backbone of country coverage, these baseline cases are substantial enough for students to build foundational knowledge about the ten core countries of Brazil, China, Germany, India, Iran, Japan, Nigeria, Russia, the UK, and the U.S. Because each case is tied to an analytic question or idea, students aren't lost in a sea of detail, but rather see country coverage in real thematic context. -Mini-cases Because no group of core countries can illustrate the full scope of issues in comparative politics, the authors include mini-cases throughout the book. These briefer cases focus on topics such as state failure, ethnic violence, and economic differences and feature countries about which most other texts say very little: Afghanistan, Chile, Cuba, Guatemala, Kenya, the Philippines, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Vietnam, Zimbabwe, and others. -In Context These short fact lists-like those students might find in an opinion-leader periodical such as Harper's-take simple data and put them into interesting, often provocative context. The number of military coups in Africa versus Latin America or the change over time in the number of one-party states might surprise students and offer enlightening perspective for thinking through an issue. -Where and Why? In these boxes, students explore why certain events and developments happen in some countries and not in others. Why have some countries been able to develop enduring democratic governments, while others remain or become authoritarian? Or, why do some states have women in powerful political positions while others do not? -Country and Concept The majority of chapters include a table that shows key indicators for the core countries. For instance, in the chapter on the modern state, the authors include such data as each state's year of establishment, its failed state ranking, its government revenue as percentage of GDP, and its rating on the corruption perception index-all important measures of each state's size and nature. Helping students critically read as well as review and study: Chapter-opener questions Bolded key terms and glossary Data-rich tables and figures Substantive maps Compelling and instructive photos End-of-chapter lists that include key concepts, work cited, seminal books and articles, and important online databases

Table of Contents

a Framework for Understanding Comparative Politics

Introduction

The Big Issues

Comparative Politics: What Is It? Why Study It? How to Study It?

Three Key Questions in Comparative Politics

Plan of the Book

Key Concepts

Works Cited

Resources for Further Study

The Modern State

Characteristics of the Modern State

Mini-Case: Somaliland

Historical Origins of Modern States

Weak and Failed States

Mini-Case: Afghanistan

Mini-Case: Sierra Leone and Liberia: Collapsed States

Case Studies in State Formation

Case Study: United Kingdom

Case Study: The United States

Case Study: Japan

Case Study: Germany

Case Study: Brazil

Case Study: Russia

Case Study: Iran

Case Study: India

Case Study: China

Case Study: Nigeria

Key Concepts

Works Cited

Resources for Further Study

Conclusion

States and Citizens

Regimes, Ideologies, and Citizens

Case Study: United Kingdom: âÇ£Cradle of DemocracyâÇ 

Case Study: Russia

Case Study: Nazi Germany

Mini-Case: TanzaniaâÇÖs One-Party Regime

Case Study: Brazil: The Bureaucratic Authoritarian State, 1964âÇô1985

Case Study: Nigeria: Neopatrimonial Military Rule, 1966âÇô1979 and 1983âÇô1999

Case Study: The Islamic Republic of Iran, 1979âÇô

Conclusion

Key Concepts

Works Cited

Resources for Further Study

State and Identity

The Debate over Identity

Nations and Nationalism

Mini-Case: Civic Nationalism in France

Case Study: Nationalism in Germany

Ethnicity and Religion

Case Study: The Strange History of Ethnicity and Religion in Nigeria

Mini-Case: Rwanda: Genocide and Ethnic Violence

Race Mini-Case: Bolivia: Regional Conflict

Case Study: Racial Politics in the United States

Case Study: Race in Brazil

Conclusion

Key Concepts

Works Cites

Resources for Further Study

The State and the Market

The Market, Capitalism, and the State

Key Economic Debates

Globalization: a New World Order or Déjà Vu All Over Again?

States and Markets around the World

Case Study: The United States: The Free Market Model

Case Study: Germany: The Social Market Economy

Mini-Case: The European Union, Economic Sovereignty, and Globalization

Case Study: Japan: The Developmental State and Its Crisis

Case Study: Brazil: Modernizing Authoritarianism, ISI, and Debt Crisis

Mini-Case: Chile: Early Neoliberal Reformer

Case Study: Nigeria: Oil, Corruption, and Dependence

Case Study: The JudiciaryâÇ  Germany and Brazil

Conclusion

Key Concepts

Works Cited

Resources for Further Study

Political Systems and How They Work

Political Institutions: Governing

Institutions: Executives and Legislatures

Case Study: Parliamentary Rule: Britain and India

Case Study: Presidentialism: The United States and Brazil

Mini-Case: FranceâÇÖs Semipresidentialism

Case Study: Russia: Semipresidentialism in a New Democracy with Weak Functions

Judiciary

Case Study: The Judiciary: Germany and Brazil

Bureaucracy

Case Study: Bureaucratic Control and Corruption: Japan and India

Federalism

Case Study: Federalism: Brazil, India, Russia

Conclusion

Key Concepts

Works Cited

Resources for Further Study

Political Institutions: Participation and Representation

Formal Institutions: The Electoral System

Formal Institutions: Political Parties and Party Systems

Mini-Case: Mexico

Mini-Case: France and the Shift toward a Two-Party System

Civil Society

Case Study: United States: Evolution of a Two-Party, Pluralist System

Case Study: Germany: Neocorporatism under Threat

Case Study: Japan: a Dominant-Party System, Weak Civil Society, and Electoral Reform

Case Study: India: From Dominant Party to Multiparty Democracy

Conclusion

Key Concepts

Works Cited

Resources for Further Study

Authoritarian Institutions

Governing Institutions in Authoritarian Regimes

Mini-Case: The âÇ£Politics of SurvivalâÇ  in MobutuâÇÖs Zaire

Mini-Case: Succession in Egypt and Zimbabwe

Elections, Parties, and Civil Society in Authoritarian Regimes

Case Study: China: From Communist to Modernizing Authoritarian Rule

Case Study: Iran: Theocracy with Limited Participation

Case Study: Nigeria: Weakening Institutions under Military Rule

Conclusion

Key Concepts

Works Cited

Resources for Further Study

Regime Change: Coups, Revolutions, and Democratization

The Military in Politics: Coups dâÇÖEtat

Case Study: Comparing Coups: Brazil and Nigeria

Revolution

Case Study: Revolution: China and Iran

Democratization

Mini-Case: Philippines

Case Study: Brazil: Model Transition and the Question of Democratic Deepening

Case Study: Russia: Transition to Semi-Authoritarian Rule

Case Study: Nigeria: Neopatrimonial Transition

Conclusion

Key Concepts

Works Cited

Resources for Further Study

Issues and Policies

Globalization , Deindustrialization, and Development

Wealthy Countries: Deindustrialization and the Welfare State

Case Study: United Kingdom: Radical Reform in a Liberal Market Economy

Case Study: Germany: Struggling to Reform the Social Market Economy

Development and Globalization

Mini-Case: South KoreaâÇÖs Economic Miracle

Mini-Case: Where Are the Middle Eastern âÇ£TigersâÇ ?

Case Study: China: An Emerging Powerhouse

Case Study: India: Development and Democracy

Case Study: Brazil: Does Globalization Allow a Different Path?

Case Study: Iran and Nigeria: Struggling with the Blessings of Oil

Conclusion

Key Concepts

Works Cited

Resources for Further Study

Public Policy When Markets Fail: Welfare, Health, and the Environment

âÇ£WelfareâÇ : Social Policy in Comparative Perspective

Mini-Case: SwedenâÇÖs Welfare State

Case Study: Germany: Reforming the Christian Democratic Welfare State

Case Study: The United States: Reforming the Liberal Welfare State

Case Study: Brazil: Starting a Welfare State in a Developing Economy

Health Care and Health Policy

Case Study: Germany: Pioneer of Modern Health Policy

Case Study: United Kingdom: Reforming the NHS

Case Study: U.S. Health Policy: Trials and Tribulations of the Market Model

Environmental Problems and Policy

Case Study: The United States: Pioneer that Lost Its Way?

Case Study: China: Searching for Sustainable Development

Case Study: Nigeria and Oil: a Question of Environmental Justice and Sustainable Development

Conclusion

Key Concepts

Works Cited

Resources for Further Study

Policies and Politics of Inclusion and Clashing Values

Religion: Recognition, Autonomy, and the Secular State

Mini-Case: Islamic Headscarves in France and Turkey

Case Study: United Kingdom: Religious Challenge to Multiculturalism

Case Study: India: Secularism in a Religious and Religiously Plural Society

Gender: The Continuing Struggle for Equal Social Status, Representation, and Participation

Mini-Case: Women in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait

Case Study: Russia: Women through Social and Political Transformation

Case Study: Iran: Social Gains, Political and Cultural Restrictions, and Islamic Feminism

Sexual Orientation: Assimilation or Liberation?

Case Study: The United States: Birthplace of a Movement but Limited Policy Change

Case Study: Brazil: LGBT Rights in a New Democracy

Conclusion

Key Concepts

Works Cited

For Further Study

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