New Directions In Comparative Politics

As ?must? reading for anyone interested in comparative politics, this text is designed to address the theoretical developments and approaches important to the comparative study of political systems today. These include: developmentalism, dependency theory, corporatism, state society relations, political economy, public policy analysis, indigenous theories of change, rational choice, and the new institutionalism. This text sees the new diversity of approaches as healthy and invigorating. The diversity in comparative politics over the past two decades has been reflected in prior editions of this book. Whereas these separate approaches once may have been regarded as fragmentary, now scholars have come to regard the diverse lines of inquiry as lending complimentary tools of analysis to our complex modern world. The emerging methods of comparative study often provide ?causeways? between previous ?islands of theory.? In this new edition, all the main approaches to comparative politics are represented in chapter length treatment. Several contributors revisit the topics they addressed in the prior editions, e.g. Tony Smith on dependency analysis, Lawrence Graham on public policy, and Joel Migdal on state-society relations. Most significantly, the third edition introduces readers to new, provocative analyses such as Paul Adams on corporatism, Anthony Gill on political economy; Ronald Inglehart on political culture; Gerardo Munck on rational choice, A. H. Somjee on indigenous theory, and Frank L. Wilson on the new institutionalism. Introductory and concluding essays by editor Howard J. Wiarda integrate the book, placing the different approaches in perspective.

This text sees the new diversity of approaches as healthy and invigorating. The diversity in comparative politics over the past two decades has been reflected in prior editions of this book.

This text addresses theoretical developments such as the emerging importance of the state-society and corporatist approaches in comparative politics. Chapters outline the resurgence of the political cultures model and provide an overview of the intellectual trends in comparative politics.

Extensively revised and updated, this classic text revisits the central problem of searching for mainstream and alternative paradigms to guide us in comparative political inquiry. Building upon the first edition's comprehensive and systematic overview of frameworks, ideologies, and theories, the second edition highlights new directions and developments over the past decade, including the continuation of an ideological political science methodological innovations such as rational-choice, historical, and postbehavioural approaches new emphases on and links between political culture and participation the recasting of modernization theory and the revitalization of class analysis and a thoroughgoing post-Keynesian political economy point of view.The second edition continues the tradition of the first in updating what one reviewer commended as outstanding, excellent annotated bibliographies at the end of each chapter and the thorough survey of the general literature of comparative politics at the end of the book." In addition, the new edition includes an appendix of definitions that facilitate clarity and understanding of political science terminology, important for students at every level from the introductory on up.In a post-Cold War world in which challenges to comparative inquiry abound,ethnic conflict, authoritarian repression, state building and disintegration, new industrialization and postindustrialization, security systems redefined,the search for new paradigms that Theories of Comparative Politics represents gains in importance daily.

Beginning with an introduction to the field of comparative politics, this clear and complete text moves on to explore new, innovative directions in the field. Leading scholar Howard J. Wiarda explores its main approaches, including political development, political culture, dependency theory, corporatism, indigenous theories of change, state-society relations, rational choice, and the new institutionalism. The book then turns its attention to the hot issues in the field. The book concludes with a stimulating discussion of whether the great systems debates of the past (socialism vs. capitalism, democracy vs. authoritarianism) are now over, and points to some of the next important study and research frontiers. Students, professors, and general readers will all find Comparative Politics current, provocative, and well written--a truly balanced overview.