Case Studies in Comparative Politics

Debuting in its first edition and written by a new generation of area studies experts, Case Studies in Comparative Politics follows a questions-based approach that helps readers understand different countries’ political histories, institutions, identities, and interests and why each country is politically interesting and relevant. When used on its own or with the accompanying thematic survey, Case Studies in Comparative Politics asks—and answers—the same important questions that political scientists research and that are relevant to anyone interested in politics.

Chapter 1. Introduction by David Samuels (Why study country cases in comparative politics?)

Chapter 2. The United Kingdom by Ben Ansell and Jane Gingrich (How did limited government emerge in the United Kingdom without a written constitution?)

Chapter 3. Germany by David Art (How did Germany overcome its tumultuous history and become a healthy democracy?)

Chapter 4. France by Erik Bleich (Why do French citizens engage in such frequent and dramatic forms of protest?)

Chapter 5. Japan by Ethan Scheiner (How did a single political party dominate Japan’s democracy for over half a century?)

Chapter 6. India by Steven Wilkinson (Why has democracy persisted in India despite its colonial legacies of ethnic and religious strife, and widespread poverty and illiteracy?)

Chapter 7. Mexico by Cecilia Martinez-Gallardo (Why is Mexico’s democratic government unable to deal effectively with persistent poverty, corruption, and drug trafficking?)

Chapter 8. Russia by Graeme Robertson (Why has Russia failed to consolidate democracy, remaining in many ways an authoritarian regime?)

Chapter 9. Nigeria by Alexandra Scacco (What factors account for Nigeria’s poor economic and political performance since independence?)

Chapter 10. China by Andrew Mertha (How has China’s authoritarian regime managed to build and consolidate state strength in just 60 years?)

Chapter 11. Iran by Arzoo Osanloo (How does a dynamic civil society survive under repressive non-democratic governments in Iran?)

• Includes diverse country case studies that offer clear examples of intellectual puzzles that comparative political scientists seek to understand. Each case study is written by an area studies expert:
  • The United Kingdom: Ben Ansell and Jane Gingrich, University of Minnesota–Minneapolis (ex. Ch. 2)
  • Germany: David Art, Tufts University (ex. Ch. 3)
  • France: Erik Bleich, Middlebury College (ex. Ch. 4)
  • Japan: Ethan Scheiner, University of California–Davis (ex. Ch. 5)
  • India: Steven Wilkinson, Yale University (ex. Ch. 6)
  • Mexico: Cecilia Martinez-Gallardo, University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill (ex. Ch. 7)
  • Russia: Graeme Robertson, University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill (ex. Ch. 8)
  • Nigeria: Alexandra Scacco, New York University (ex. Ch. 9)
  • China: Andrew Mertha, Cornell University (ex. Ch. 10)
  • Iran: Arzoo Osanloo, University of Washington (ex. Ch. 11)
• Structures each country case study around a consistent organization to facilitate cross-national comparison. (ex. p. viii)
  • Historical Overview provides the necessary background information on the development of each country.
  • Institutions describes the country’s political institutions and explains why each country has emerged as a democracy or remained a dictatorship.
  • Identities focus on the main forms of political identity in each country, such as ethnicity, nationalism, economic class, language, religion or gender.
  • Interests analyze the patterns of competition over the distribution of political power and wealth between the different organized interests and identities in each society
• Follows a question-based approach that not only offers a compelling guide through essential coverage but also shows how political scientists analyze politics in different countries. A central question clarifies why¿that country¿is interesting and important, and through sub-questions linked to each¿case study¿section, readers will see how smaller pieces of a larger puzzle add up to strong political arguments. Questions posed in Case Studies in Comparative Politics include:
  • Why study country cases in comparative politics? (ex. Ch. 1)
  • How did limited government emerge in the United Kingdom without a written constitution? (ex. Ch. 2)
  • How did Germany overcome its tumultuous history and become a healthy democracy? (ex. Ch. 3)
  • Why do French citizens engage in such frequent and dramatic forms of protest? (ex. Ch. 4)
  • How did a single political party dominate Japan’s democracy for over half a century? (ex. Ch. 5)
  • Why has democracy persisted in India despite its colonial legacies of ethnic and religious strife, and widespread poverty and illiteracy? (ex. Ch. 6)
  • Why is Mexico’s democratic government unable to deal effectively with persistent poverty, corruption, and drug trafficking? (ex. Ch. 7)
  • Why has Russia failed to consolidate democracy, remaining in many ways an authoritarian regime? (ex. Ch. 8)
  • What factors account for Nigeria’s poor economic and political performance since independence? (ex. Ch. 9)
  • How has China’s authoritarian regime managed to build and consolidate state strength in just 60 years? (ex. Ch. 10)
  • How does a dynamic civil society survive under repressive non-democratic governments in Iran? (ex. Ch. 11)
• Integrates pedagogical features in every¿case study¿to reinforce students’ understanding of key concepts and to encourage critical thinking.
  • Chapter-opening case studies that elaborate on the case study's central question. (ex. p. 78)
  • Political maps and country data tables that provide background information on each country. (ex. p. 80)
  • “Summary” boxes that review key concepts in an organized and easy-to-read format. (ex. p. 88)
  • Key terms highlighted in the text and defined in both a marginal glossary and end-of-book glossary. (ex. p. 41)
  • Discussion questions to review the chapter and prepare for classroom discussion. (ex. p. 75)
  • Annotated suggested readings to further explore that country. (ex. p. 75)
  • Photos and figures that provide visual displays of key concepts and data. (ex. p. 128)
• Comparative Politics follows the same questions-based approach as this text, showing students how to do real comparative analysis while introducing them to political institutions, identities, and interests. This thematic text uniquely balances the how–analytical knowledge–and the what–descriptive knowledge–to help students make their own political arguments and to thus be more critically informed and engaged political participants. To order Case Studies in Comparative Politics with this thematic survey and MyPoliSciLab at a special discount, use ISBN 0-205-88783-X.
• MyPoliSciLab. With MyPoliSciLab, students move from studying and applying concepts to participating in politics. They are able to work at their own pace, getting rich, engaging opportunities to learn in ways that are suited to their progress and style. It’s a smart, dynamic way to help students achieve more in your course! With MyPoliSciLab, you’ll have confidence that your students will reach the moment of understanding—the moment you know. To order MyPoliSciLab with the print text, use ISBN 0-205-88784-8. Learn more at www.mypoliscilab.com.

David J. Samuels is Benjamin E. Lippincott Professor of Political Science at the University of Minnesota.

The United Kingdom: Ben Ansell and Jane Gingrich are Assistant Professors of Political Science at the University of Minnesota.

Germany: David Art is Associate Professor of Political Science at Tufts University.

France: Erik Bleich is Professor of Political Science at Middlebury College.

Japan: Ethan Scheiner is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of California–Davis

India: Steven Wilkinson is Nilekani Professor of India and South Asian Studies and Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at Yale University.

Mexico: Cecilia Martinez-Gallardo is Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill.

Russia: Graeme Robertson is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill.

Nigeria: Alexandra Scacco is Assistant Professor of Politics at New York University.

China: Andrew Mertha is Associate Professor of Government at Cornell University.

Iran: Arzoo Osanloo is Associate Professor in the Law, Societies, and Justice Program at the University of Washington.

Expert Reviews

ADVANCE PRAISE FOR COMPARATIVE POLITICS AND CASE STUDIES IN COMPARATIVE POLITICS

“Comparative Politics and Case Studies in Comparative Politics are cutting-edge and high quality textbooks that many political scientists of my generation will consider using. They address many of my concerns with existing texts by providing instructors with a great deal of leeway in designing a syllabus. Each case study is written by a prominent scholar or rising comparativist and is nicely linked to the thematic survey. This would allow me the flexibility of using a different survey text or no survey text at all.”—Emmanuel Teitelbaum, George Washington University

“I have looked at many comparative politics textbooks and none of them have appealed to me the way that this one did right away. Some aim too high and ask far too much of students, losing them in a sea of concepts with few tools to make sense of them. Others aim too low and ask far too little of students, failing to challenge them on the essential themes and concepts of comparative politics. This one finds the middle ground by presenting topics in an interesting and engaging manner and challenging students to cultivate their analytical skills.”—Katy Crossley-Frolick, Denison University

“David Samuels helps students make sense of complex theoretical questions and approaches, and he applies them very effectively to case examples. This textbook beats all the alternatives; it is very well thought-out.”—Kenneth Roberts, Cornell University

“Samuels engages professors as well as students by making our field accessible without compromising the curiosities and complexities that make it so interesting. The study of institutions, interests, and identities introduces undergraduates to the politics of countries in the world through a rigorous lens of comparative analysis. Samuels raises the most interesting questions and puzzles within our field and guides the student through the methods of comparative politics science. To have a textbook that moves beyond a list of concepts and an historical chronology of countries is immensely satisfying.”—Lauretta Frederking, University of Portland

“I am delighted that the author recognizes how graduate-level comparative political scientists are trained and that he has brought this approach to the undergraduate level. This is useful training not only for budding comparative politics students but for those who seek to become informed world citizens.”—Jennifer White, University of Georgia

“Comparative Politics is a theory-centered introductory text that perfectly balances the substantive nature of our field with the level of accessibility necessary for an undergraduate class.”—Julie Mazzei, Kent State University

“David Samuels provides a strong introduction to the themes, concepts, and current debates of comparative politics without burying the reader in a mound of empirical details. It encourages hypothesis testing, fosters students’ critical thinking skills, and encourages students to place current political developments in context.”—John Scherpereel, James Madison University

“I am impressed that Samuels does not shy away from introducing students to the major debates in comparative politics and having them evaluate competing arguments. In trying to get the students to think theoretically, he has definitely chosen an approach that will challenge the best students.”—Steve Barracca, Eastern Kentucky University

“This is a readable and well-organized exploration of major topics in comparative politics that brings together basic as well as more advanced topics. It provides students with examples of how to actually do comparative politics and prompts them to think through the major arguments of the field.”—Wendy N. Whitman Cobb, Santa Fe College

“David Samuels does a better job than any I have seen of discussing key themes in comparative politics in an intelligent and well-written way. He raises the big questions in a straightforward and engaged manner, and he does a good job of addressing them in comparative perspective with the American institutions that my students know well.”—Kevin Deegan-Krause, Wayne State University

“Samuels offers students a theoretically robust yet highly accessible introduction to the study of comparative politics. He clearly introduces core concepts and theories, offering compelling examples that encourage students to think through different ways of answering fundamental questions that define the field. I’m thrilled to see the strong focus on political identity in an introductory textbook.”—James Ross, University of Northern Colorado

“This work is thoughtfully and freshly conceived and focuses on a straightforward analysis of political outcomes instead of rehashing historical debates in comparative politics that are not germane to students just coming to the topic. David Samuels writes with an enthusiasm that will entice students, and his emphasis on comparative politics as a puzzle is something that I would like my students to assimilate.”—David Levenbach, Arkansas State University

“David Samuel’s innovative thematic survey and country casebook stand out as the most comprehensive material for introductory comparative politics courses. Throughout both, he successfully weaves the themes of institutions, identity and interests and demonstrates how these impact social, economic and political outcomes in different countries.”–Dauda Abubakar, University of Michigan–Flint

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