Essentials of comparative politics / Patrick H. O'Neil.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. Introduction -- Whats is comparative politics? -- The comparative method -- Quantitative versus qualitative research -- Debates in comparative politics -- A guiding approach : political institutions -- A guiding idea : reconciling freedom and equality -- In sum : looking ahead -- 2. States -- Defining the state -- The origins of political organization -- The rise of the modern state -- Comparing state power -- Legitimacy -- Centralization or decentralization -- In sum : studying states -- 3. Nations and society -- Ethnic identity -- National identity -- Citizenship and patriotism -- Ethnic identity, national identity, and citizenship : origins and persistence -- Sources of ethnic and national conflict -- Political attitudes and political ideology -- Political attitudes -- Political ideology -- Fundamentalism and the crisis of ideology -- Political culture -- In sum : society and politics --

4. Political economy -- The components of political economy -- Markets and property -- Public goods -- Social expenditures : who benefits? -- Taxation -- Money, inflation, and unemployment -- Regulation -- Trade -- Political-economic systems -- Liberalism -- Social democracy -- Communism -- Mercantilism -- Political-economic systems and the state : comparing outcomes -- Gross domestic product (GDP) -- Gini index -- Human development index (HDI) -- The future of political economy -- In sum : the end of economic history? -- 5. Authoritarianism and totalitarianism -- Defining authoritarianism and totalitarianism -- Sources of nondemocratic rule -- Economic sources of nondemocratic rule -- Societal sources of nondemocratic rule -- Nondemocratic regimes and political control -- Coercion and surveillance -- Co-optation -- Personality cults --Nondemocratic regimes and legitimacy -- Types of nondemocratic rule -- Personal and monarchical rule -- Military rule -- One-party rule -- Theocracy -- Illiberal regimes -- In sum : nondemocratic regimes in retreat? --

6. Democracy -- What is democracy? -- The origins of liberal democracy and the rule of law -- Athenian democracy and Roman republicanism -- England : the birthplace of liberal democracy -- Institutionalizing democracy -- Participation : voting and elections -- Electoral systems -- Referendum and initiative -- Competition : political parties and the separation of powers -- Political parties -- The separation of powers -- Liberty : civil rights, civil liberties, and civil society -- In sum : future challenges to democracy -- 7. Advanced democracies -- Defining advanced democracy -- Freedom and equality in advanced democracies -- Advanced democracies today -- States and sovereignty : challenges and opportunities -- The European Union : integration, expansion, and resistance -- Devolution and democracy -- Social change and conflict -- Postmodern values and organization -- Diversity, identity, and the challenge to postmodern values -- Economic change -- Postindustrialism -- Maintaining the welfare state -- In sum : the advanced democracies in transition --

8. Communism and postcommunism -- Communism, equality, and the nature of human relations -- Revolution and the "triumph" of communism -- Putting communism into practice -- Communist political economy -- Societal institutions under communism -- The collapse of communism -- Political institutions in transition -- Reorganizing the state and constructing a democratic regime -- Evaluating economic transitions -- Economic institutions in transition -- Privatization and marketization -- Evaluating economic transitions -- Societal institutions in transition -- Re-creating identities -- Evaluating societal transitions -- In sum : the legacy of communism -- 9. Less-developed and newly industrializing countries -- Freedom and equality in the newly industrializing and less-developed countries -- Imperialism and colonialism -- Institutions of imperialism -- Exporting the state -- Social identities -- Dependent development -- The challenges of postimperialism -- Building state capacity and autonomy -- Forging social identities -- Generating economic growth -- Prospects for democracy and development -- Rebuilding state power -- Supporting civil society -- Promoting economic prosperity -- In sum : the challenges of development --

10. Globalization -- What is globalization? -- Institutions and globalization -- Political globalization -- Economic globalization -- Societal globalization -- Globalization : myths and realities -- Is globalization new? -- Is globalization exaggerated? -- Is globalization inevitable? -- In sum : freedom and equality in a globalized world -- 11. Political violence -- What is political violence? -- Why political violence? -- Institutional explanations -- Ideational explanations -- Individual explanations -- Forms of political violence -- Revolution -- Terrorism -- Terrorism and revolution : means and ends -- Political violence in context : faith, terrorism, and revolution -- Countering political violence -- In sum : meeting the challenge of political violence -- Glossary.