Foundations of Comparative Politics / Edition 1

by William Roberts Clark, Matt Golder, Sona N. Golder

Overview

Foundations of Comparative Politics by William Roberts Clark, Matt Golder, and Sona Nadenichek Golder goes beyond individual country studies, adopting a thematic approach to provide a comprehensive, cross-national understanding of democracy and dictatorship. The Second Edition's condensed, accessible format introduces readers to key questions in comparative politics and enables them to wrestle intellectually with the conditions and effects of power dynamics.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781506360737
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	10/05/2018
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	456
Sales rank:	526,557
Product dimensions:	7.50(w) x 9.12(h) x (d)

About the Author

William Roberts Clark is associate professor of political science at the University of Michigan. He is the author of Capitalism, Not Globalism, and his articles have appeared in American Political Science Review, Comparative Political Studies, Political Analysis, and European Union Politics, among other journals. He has been teaching at a wide variety of public and private schools (William Paterson College, Rutgers University, Georgia Tech, Princeton, New York University, and the University of Michigan) for over a decade.

Matt Golder was previously assistant professor of political science at Florida State University. He is the author of articles which have appeared in the American Journal of Political Science, British Journal of Political Science, Comparative Political Studies, Electoral Studies, and Political Analysis among other journals. He has taught classes on comparative politics, advanced industrialized democracies, quantitative methods, and European politics at the University of Iowa, Florida State University, and the University of Essex.

Sona Nadenichek Golder was previously assistant professor of political science at Florida State University. She is the author of The Logic of Pre-Electoral Coalition Formation, and has published articles in the British Journal of Political Science, Electoral Studies, and European Union Politics. She teaches courses on European politics, democracies and dictatorships, comparative institutions, game theory, and comparative politics at Florida State University and was a Mentor-in-Residence for the 2007 Empirical Implications of Theoretical Models Summer Program at UCLA .

Table of Contents

Preface
About the Authors
PART I: What is Comparative Politics?
1: INTRODUCTION
Overview of the Book
The Approach Taken in This Book
Key Concepts
2: WHAT IS SCIENCE?
What is Science?
The Scientific Method
An Introduction to Logic
Myths About Science
Conclusion
Key Concepts
3: WHAT IS POLITICS?
The Exit, Voice, and Loyalty (EVL) Theory of Politics
What Happens in the EVL Theory?
Insights from the EVL Theory
Conclusion
Key Concepts
PART II: The Modern State: Democracy or Dictatorship?
4: THE ORIGINS OF THE MODERN STATE
What is a State?
Syria: A Failed State
How Unusual Is Syria?
The Contractarian View of the State
The Predatory View of the State
Conclusion
Key Concepts
5: THE ECONOMIC DETERMINANTS OF DEMOCRACY AND DICTATORSHIP
Democracy in Historical Perspective
Modernization Theory and Democracy
A Variant of Modernization Theory
Conclusion
Key Concepts
6: THE CULTURAL DETERMINANTS OF DEMOCRACY AND DICTATORSHIP
Classical Cultural Arguments: Mill and Montesquieu
Does Democracy Require a Civic Culture?
Are Some Religions Incompatible with Democracy?
Experiments and Culture
Conclusion
Key Concepts
7: DEMOCRATIC TRANSITIONS
Bottom-Up Transitions to Democracy
Top-Down Transitions to Democracy
Conclusion
Key Concepts
PART III: Varieties of Democracy and Dictatorship
8: VARIETIES OF DICTATORSHIP
A Common Typology of Authoritarian Regimes
The Two Fundamental Problems of Authoritarian Rule
Selectorate Theory
Conclusion
Key Concepts
9: PROBLEMS WITH GROUP DECISION MAKING
Problems with Group Decision Making
Arrow's Theorem
Conclusion
Key Concepts
10: PARLIAMENTARY, PRESIDENTIAL, AND SEMI-PRESIDENTIAL DEMOCRACIES
Classifying Democracies
Governments in Parliamentary Democracies
Governments in Presidential Democracies
Governments in Semi-Presidential Democracies
Conclusion
Key Concepts
11: ELECTIONS AND ELECTORAL SYSTEMS
Elections and Electoral Integrity
Electoral Systems
Legislative Electoral System Choice
Conclusion
Key Concepts
12: SOCIAL CLEAVAGES AND PARTY SYSTEMS
Political Parties: What Are They, and What Do They Do?
Party Systems
Where Do Parties Come From?
Types of Political Parties and Social Cleavages
Number of Parties: Duverger's Theory
Conclusion
Key Concepts
13: INSTITUTIONAL VETO PLAYERS
Federalism
Bicameralism
Constitutionalism
Veto Players
Conclusion
Key Concepts
PART IV: Varieties of Democracy and Political Outcomes
14: CONSEQUENCES OF DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS
Majoritarian or Consensus Democracy?
The Effect of Political Institutions on Fiscal Policy
Electoral laws, Federalism, and Ethnic Conflict
Presidentialism and Democratic Survival
Conclusion
Key Concepts
References
Index