Understanding the Political World : Comparative Introduction to Political Science

Both students and instructors praise this best-selling introduction to political science, which offers a personal writing style and a comparative perspective that illuminates how politics works at the individual, group, national, and global levels.

Students value the book's relevance to their experience of today's world, its engaging, highly readable writing style, and the many intriguing examples (including more than 60 found in boxed discussions) from every part of the world, making concepts more vivid and memorable. The numerous political cartoons, compelling photographs, maps, and analytic diagrams effectively sustain students' interest and elaborate on key concepts. Instructors appreciate the book's comprehensive coverage of key theories and concepts and the logical manner in which it explores many of the interesting questions addressed by political scientists.

Features

• Explores political science using a comparative perspective, making this text useful in both courses on introduction to political science and comparative politics.
• Filled with useful pedagogy to help students learn: lists of key concepts and thought questions at the end of each chapter, Web links, suggested further readings, and a glossary.
• Places an emphasis on quantitative and analytical approaches to understanding politics.
• Encourages students to think about the world as a political scientist does.
• A ''Political Analysis'' Appendix provides an easy-to-understand primer on political analysis techniques.

New To This Edition

• A series of new ''Debating the Issue'' boxed discussions that briefly characterize the background and two alternative viewpoints on intriguing questions such as: Will there always be a ''Third World?'' Are interest groups interested in democracy? Is globalization increasing global prosperity? Is terrorism justifiable?
• A revised and reorganized Chapter 9 offers a new opening section focusing on public policy and public policy analysis.
• Chapter 2 expands the text's treatment of normative political theory.
• A new section in Chapter 8 links the conceptualization of international political economy to the existing presentation of the national political economy.
• Expanded analysis of political violence, especially regarding the recent evolution of terrorism and the blurring distinction between war and other forms of violence.
• New treatment of the expanded European Union and the challenges it faces.
• Updates to include the most current data throughout the book and relevant alterations in the text to reflect significant changes.