Introduction to Comparative Politics: The State and its Challenges

by Robert Hislope, Anthony Mughan

Overview

This stimulating and accessible introduction to comparative politics offers a fresh perspective on the fundamentals of political science. Its central theme is the enduring political significance of the modern state despite severe challenges to its sovereignty. There are three main sections to the book. The first traces the origins and meaning of the state and proceeds to explore its relationship to the practice of politics. The second examines how states are governed and compares patterns of governance found in the two major regime types in the world today, democracy and authoritarianism. The last section discusses several contemporary challenges - globalization, ethnic nationalism, terrorism and organized crime - to state sovereignty. Designed to appeal to students and professors alike, this lively text engages readers as it traces states' struggles against the mutually reinforcing pressures of global economic and political interdependence, fragmented identities and secessionism, transnational criminal networks, and terrorism.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781139365512
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	03/26/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Robert Hislope is Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Union College, New York.
Anthony Mughan is Professor of Political Science and Director of International Studies at the Ohio State University.

Table of Contents

1. The modern state; 2. States and politics; 3. How governments work; 4. Frameworks of governance; 5. Linkage and representation; 6. Globalization; 7. Ethnic nationalism; 8. Terrorism; 9. Organized crime; 10. Conclusion.

Editorial Reviews

Comparativists hoping to teach undergraduates have oscillated between country-by-country approaches and abstract frameworks. [Hislope and Mughan] strike the perfect balance, joining accessibility with rigor….Five chapters cover the state is and how its operations vary across democratic and authoritarian governments. A quartet of chapters addresses the forces shearing at the twenty-first-century state: globalization, ethnic nationalism, terrorism, and organized crime…. Introduction to Comparative Politics will help students and educators understand politics across regime types….A world-class gateway to the field’s most important findings and insights. I strongly recommend it.” – Jason Brownlee, The University of Texas at Austin

“In a complex world, modern states face major challenges from issues as diverse as globalization, democratization, ethnic nationalism, terrorism, and organized crime. In this stimulating, accessible, and thoughtful book, Hislope and Mughan provide an essential overview and much more…a first-class guide for undergraduates and for all readers interested in understanding the role and limits of the state.” – Pippa Norris, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University

“A superb book: full of fresh insights, lively writing, and good sense. [The authors] introduce traditional theories and concepts with skill and economy, but also highlight contemporary issues of great interest….Moreover, by including an extended discussion of autocratic regimes and ethnic nationalism, they offer an important corrective to the Euro-centrism of many textbooks. An ideal introduction to comparative politics.” – Timothy Frye, Marshall D. Shulman Professor of Post-Soviet Foreign Policy and Director, Harriman Institute, Columbia University

“A timely and impressive introduction…genuinely comparative as the authors examine states in all sorts of political systems….Demonstrates how the study of comparative politics centered on the role of the modern state is indispensable for understanding four key trends pressing in on them: the effects of globalization, ethnic-based nationalism across boundaries, non-state-based terrorism, and transnational criminal activities. An outstanding book now available for students and scholars of comparative politics that I recommend highly” – Desmond King, University of Oxford

From the Publisher