Organized thematically around important questions in comparative politics-who rules? what explains political behavior? where and why?-Introducing Comparative Politics integrates a set of extended case studies of 11 countries that vividly illustrate issues in cross-national context. The cases are placed within the chapters where they make the most sense -not separated from the theory or in a separate volume-helping students make connections between theory and practice earlier in the semester and giving them a more holistic view of comparative politics.

Part I: A Framework For Understanding Comparative Politics
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: The Modern State
Chapter 3: States, Citizens, And Regimes
Chapter 4: States And Identity
Part II: Political Systems And How They Work
Chapter 5: Governing Institutions In Democracies
Chapter 6: Institutions Of Participation And Representation In Democracies
Chapter 7: Contentious Politics: Social Movements, Political Violence, And Revolution
Chapter 8: Authoritarian Institutions
Chapter 9: Regime Change
Part III: Political Economy And Policy
Chapter 10: Political Economy Of Wealth
Chapter 11: Political Economy Of Development
Chapter 12: Public Policies When Markets Fail: Welfare, Health, And The Environment

Stephen Orvis is Professor of Government at Hamilton College. He is a specialist on sub-Saharan Africa (Kenya in particular), identity politics, democratic transitions, and the political economy of development. He has been teaching introduction to comparative politics for more than twenty-five years, as well as courses on African politics, nationalism and the politics of identity, political economy of development, and weak states. He has written a book and articles on agricultural development in Kenya, as well as several articles on civil society in Africa and Kenya, and is currently doing research on political institutions in Africa.