This book could serve as a introduciton to comparative politics, thought it's emphasis is squarely on democratization. For that purpose, it's a great overview of the major literature on the subject of the "third wave" of democracy. I'm using it for that purpose (as a companion to a long list of articles).

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Product Description

Comparing Political Regimes A Thematic Introduction to Comparative Politics By Alan Siaroff

There are now 192 sovereign states in the world. Contrary to many assumptions (or hopes), these have hardly all converged onto a liberal democratic model; instead, there is still great variation in national political regimes. This book provides a comprehensive and current assessment of the world’s political systems. It does so primarily by outlining and contrasting the aspects of four different regime types—liberal democracies, electoral democracies, semi-liberal autocracies, and closed autocracies—and classifying all 192 countries within this typology. Empirical explanations answer the question of why countries tend to be in one regime type rather than another.

In contrast to standard introductory comparative politics texts that focus on a few large countries, this textbook is organized thematically. There are modern examinations of the still-relevant concept of political development and of the military in politics. The various democracies are further compared in terms of their political institutions and party politics. The different totalitarian, sultanistic, and authoritarian subtypes of autocracy are explained and contrasted. Democratic transition, consolidation, breakdown, and re-equilibration are analyzed and modelled. Key historical examples are noted where appropriate. Finally, the text looks ahead to potential changes in regime numbers over the next couple of decades. A list of websites is provided so that students can remain up-to-date about the world’s countries.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #976008 in Books
• Published on: 2005-05-26
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 308 pages

Review
innovative approach to comparative politics, comparing the world's countries on the basis of how democratic they are, and why... -- Ronald Inglehart, University of Michigan

Review
"This tightly focused book provides a concise and coherent overview of contemporary political reality." - Ronald Inglehart, University of Michigan

About the Author
Alan Siaroff received his Ph.D. in Political Science from Yale University and is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Lethbridge. He has published widely in various scholarly journals in Europe and North America.