Comparative Politics

Reviews / Votes

"Kopstein and Lichbach have assembled a compelling introduction to comparative politics for courses taught from the perspective of political development. Invited to examine six well-chosen and familiar cases (Britain and France as early, Germany and Japan as middle, and Russia and China as late developers), the contributors analyze the emergence of interests, the shifting range of social identities,and the interaction of both in shaping a particular institutional trajectory. Each section concludes with a synthesis by the co-editors comparing the trajectories of the preceding cases. An innovation is the extension of the analysis presented for the first six cases to 'experimental developers': Mexico, India, Iran, and South Africa. Throughout the volume the prose is lively and accessible, and each contributor provides a sufficient historical background on the country at hand to put every student in the picture regardless of prior preparation." Richard Anderson, UCLA "Kopstein and Lichbach's book is an impressive achievement. In contrast to most comparative politics texts which are often unimaginative and seem like clones of each other, this study represents a refreshing and intellectually stimulating approach to the field. The book is unusual in that it surveys both standard cases of political development, such as Great Britain and Germany, but combines them with somewhat less-known but no less intriguing cases, like India, Iran, and South Africa. Above all, what I like most about this book it that it actually encourages students, in a clearly-written and thoughtful fashion, to engage in real comparative analysis. For comparativists looking for a new way of engaging their students in the study of world politics, this book is definitely welcome news." A. James McAdams, Notre Dame "Sophisticated yet accessible, this textbook breaks out of the introductory comparative politics mold that crams country-specific case studies into a systemic or developmentalist model. Instead it attains thematic coherence and will maintain students' interest with its attention to world-historic context and to the normative stakes of development and also with its useful 'Stop and Compare' sections. This volume offers an excellent introduction to the diversity and depth of contemporary comparative politics." Laurence McFalls, Universite de Montreal "Jeffrey Kopstein and Mark Lichbach's excellent new comparative politics text offers things that others do not. The book situates an exceptionally broad range of European, Latin American, African, and Asian cases in the context of a common set of concerns--interests, identities, and institutions--and a common developmental framework. The authors of the country studies do not simply presume that the struggle for power is mainly a domestic and lawful affair; rather, they highlight the impact of international forces and the historical importance of armed struggles for power. In this, the volume breaks with implicit notions that the past is the problem of another discipline and international affairs the purview of a different subfield." Wade Jacoby, Brigham Young University