Principles of Comparative Politics

by William Roberts Clark

Principles of Comparative Politics offers the most comprehensive and up-to-date introduction to comparative inquiry, research, and scholarship. In this thoroughly revised Third Edition, students now have an even better guide to cross-national comparison and why it matters. The new edition retains a focus on the enduring questions with which scholars grapple, the issues about which consensus has started to emerge, and the tools comparativists use to get at the complex problems in the field. Updates to this edition include a new intuitive take on statistical analyses and a clearer explanation of how to interpret regression results; a thoroughly-revised chapter on culture and democracy that includes a more extensive discussion of cultural modernization theory and a new overview of survey methods for addressing sensitive topics; and a revised chapter on dictatorships that incorporates a principal-agent framework for understanding authoritarian institutions. Examples from the gender and politics literature have been incorporated into various chapters, and empirical examples and data on various types of institutions have been updated. The authors have thoughtfully streamlined chapters to better focus attention on key topics.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Political Science, Textbooks, History

888 pages, Paperback

First published September 10, 2008

Reviews

[Shane Hawk · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better textbooks I have read. Covers just about every topic regarding comparative politics. The book fully explained numerous theories along with analytical frameworks and provided empirical data to push some more than others. Political bias was minimal. Students required to use this text: make use of it.

[oliver.lost.again · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super long but everything explained in detail. Multiple aspects of politics looked through lenses of rational choice theory. Some topics better explained than others.

[وليد ماضي]

I want electronic copy

[Michael Gerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great reference book on politics, specifically the comparative field. One of its strengths is its freshness: It was published in 2012.

[Maya · Rating 4 out of 5]

i may have skipped a few chapters... but i bet if i didn't it would have prepped me well for the final👍🏼😟

[Emily Jenkins]

I had to read this entire thing for class, so I'm counting it

[Paul Furey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Due to popular demand… I’m back. Once dropped this on my foot and it hurt loads.

[Carsen Codel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid textbook, clear and learned a lot.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I used this book for my comparative politics class. It's very informative but very dense and hard to read continuously.