Comparative Government and Politics: An Introduction

by John McCormick, Rod Hague, Martin Harrop

Overview

This revised and updated edition of a core textbook – one of the most well-established texts in the field of comparative politics – offers a comprehensive introduction to the comparison of governments and political systems, helping students to understand not just the institutions and political cultures of their own countries but also those of a wide range of democracies and authoritarian regimes from around the world.

The book opens with an overview of key theories and methods for studying comparative politics and moves on to a study of major institutions and themes, such as the state, constitutions and courts, elections, voters, interest groups and political economy. In addition, two common threads run throughout the chapters in this edition – the reversal of democracy and declining trust in government – ensuring that the book fully accounts for the rapid developments in politics that have taken place across the world in recent times.

Written by a team of experienced textbook authors and featuring a range of engaging learning features, this book is an essential text for undergraduate and postgraduate courses on comparative politics, comparative government, introduction to politics and introduction to political science.

New to this Edition:
- New and extended coverage of important topics such as authoritarian states, identities, ethnicity and political violence
- A brand new chapter on political economy
- An engaging new page design, in full colour for the first time
- An enhanced companion website, now providing an extensive testbank of questions for lecturers
- Publishing alongside John McCormick's new book on Cases in Comparative Government and Politics (October 2019), which offers more detailed coverage of the cases covered in this text.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781352005097
Publisher:	Macmillan Education UK
Publication date:	02/08/2019
Series:	Comparative Government and Politics
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	508,389
File size:	42 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Rod Hague was formerly Senior Lecturer in Politics, University of Newcastle, UK.

Martin Harrop was formerly Senior Lecturer in Politics, University of Newcastle, UK.

John McCormick is Professor of Political Science, Indiana University, Indianapolis, USA, and is author of a number of bestselling books in politics, including Comparative Government and Politics (with Rod Hague and Martin Harrop), Understanding the European Union and European Union Politics.
Rod Hague was formerly Senior Lecturer in Politics, University of Newcastle, UK.


Martin Harrop was formerly Senior Lecturer in Politics, University of Newcastle, UK.



John McCormick is Professor of Political Science, Indiana University, Indianapolis, USA, and is author of a number of bestselling books in politics, including Comparative Government and Politics (with Rod Hague and Martin Harrop), Understanding the European Union and European Union Politics.

Table of Contents

1. Key concepts
2. Theoretical approaches
3. Comparative methods
4. The state
5. Democratic rule
6. Authoritarian rule
7. Constitutions and courts
8. Executives
9. Legislatures
10. Bureaucracies
11. Sub-national government
12. Political culture
13. Political participation
14. Political communication
15. Elections
16. Political parties
17. Voters
18: Interest groups
19: Public policy
20: Political economy.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

This new edition does not simply update a classic resource for teachers and students. In exploring universal questions of comparative political science from the dual perspective of democratic backsliding on the part of elites, and declining trust on the part of the people, it compels us to consider those questions anew. – Benjamin Stanley, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Poland

In my experience, Comparative Government and Politics is by far the best stand-alone text in this area. It is thorough and unlike the many other texts in the field, it focuses, in very interesting and engaging sections, primarily upon the dynamics of a broad range of comparative political phenomena as they apply to real-world politics. Coupled with McCormick’s forthcoming country case studies volume, this will constitute the most comprehensive, and yet interesting and very readable approach to the teaching of this key subject at the undergraduate level. – Daniel Zirker, University of Waikato, New Zealand

Continues to be the leading introductory text in the field, and for good reason. Comprehensive, well-structured, and incorporating analysis of the latest trends and developments, it provides a highly accessible resource for both students and teachers the world over. Its thematic approach and extensive range of country case studies ensure that it is truly international in scope and relevance. – Monique Emser, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Comparative Government and Politics stands out in a market saturated with introductory textbooks. The tone and style of the text are very accessible and lend themselves well to both those majoring in the field, and those not familiar with it at all. – Johannes Van Gorp, American University of Sharjah, UAE

The addition of John McCormick in this classic title for comparative politics has made a significant impact in this edition. Full of new features, captivating graphs and images, this has become an important resource for students of comparative politics as well as an excellent reference point for those teaching the subject. Users of the book will particularly enjoy the spotlights on specific countries and cases, as well as the abundance of interesting data that inspire further research. – Theofanis Exadaktylos, University of Surrey, UK

This enriched version of a classic textbook remains the first choice of textbook for my introductory comparative politics courses. – Bec Strating, La Trobe University, Australia

This edition is a substantive enhancement of the previous editions, with more comprehensive coverage of politics in authoritarian regimes, which is of tremendous added value. This is a text on which students and teachers of comparative politics can count. – James Wong, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong

I have used this book for the last ten years, and this is the best version I have seen so far. To put it simply, this edition will allow me to teach my introductory course on comparative politics in the way I want to teach it. – Mariely Lopez-Santana, George Mason University, USA

An excellent and comprehensive introduction to comparative government and politics which helps students to understand basic concepts, theoretical and methodological approaches, and key institutions and developments in the field across democratic and auratic states. – Rosalind Shorrocks, University of Manchester, UK

The 11th edition of Comparative Government and Politics continues to provide a comprehensive introduction to the field of comparative politics, equipping students with the basic knowledge and methods to compare various forms of political organization across geographical and cultural boundaries. – Karsten Schulz, University of Groningen, the Netherlands

Editorial Reviews

This new edition does not simply update a classic resource for teachers and students. In exploring universal questions of comparative political science from the dual perspective of democratic backsliding on the part of elites, and declining trust on the part of the people, it compels us to consider those questions anew.” —Benjamin Stanley, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Poland

“In my experience, Comparative Government and Politics is by far the best stand-alone text in this area. It is thorough and unlike the many other texts in the field, it focuses, in very interesting and engaging sections, primarily upon the dynamics of a broad range of comparative political phenomena as they apply to real-world politics. Coupled with McCormick's forthcoming country case studies volume, this will constitute the most comprehensive, and yet interesting and very readable approach to the teaching of this key subject at the undergraduate level.” —Daniel Zirker, University of Waikato, New Zealand

“Continues to be the leading introductory text in the field, and for good reason. Comprehensive, well-structured, and incorporating analysis of the latest trends and developments, it provides a highly accessible resource for both students and teachers the world over. Its thematic approach and extensive range of country case studies ensure that it is truly international in scope and relevance.” —Monique Emser, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

“Comparative Government and Politics stands out in a market saturated with introductory textbooks. The tone and style of the text are very accessible and lend themselves well to both those majoring in the field, and those not familiar with it at all.” —Johannes Van Gorp, American University of Sharjah, UAE

“The addition of John McCormick in this classic title for comparative politics has made a significant impact in this edition. Full of new features, captivating graphs and images, this has become an important resource for students of comparative politics as well as an excellent reference point for those teaching the subject. Users of the book will particularly enjoy the spotlights on specific countries and cases, as well as the abundance of interesting data that inspire further research.” —Theofanis Exadaktylos, University of Surrey, UK

“This enriched version of a classic textbook remains the first choice of textbook for my introductory comparative politics courses.” —Bec Strating, La Trobe University, Australia

“This edition is a substantive enhancement of the previous editions, with more comprehensive coverage of politics in authoritarian regimes, which is of tremendous added value. This is a text on which students and teachers of comparative politics can count.” —James Wong, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong

“I have used this book for the last ten years, and this is the best version I have seen so far. To put it simply, this edition will allow me to teach my introductory course on comparative politics in the way I want to teach it.” —Mariely Lopez-Santana, George Mason University, USA

“An excellent and comprehensive introduction to comparative government and politics which helps students to understand basic concepts, theoretical and methodological approaches, and key institutions and developments in the field across democratic and autocratic states.” —Rosalind Shorrocks, University of Manchester, UK

“The 11th edition of Comparative Government and Politics continues to provide a comprehensive introduction to the field of comparative politics, equipping students with the basic knowledge and methods to compare various forms of political organization across geographical and cultural boundaries.” —Karsten Schulz, University of Groningen, the Netherlands

From the Publisher