TY - BOOK AU - Almond, Gabrial A,ed. TI - Comparative politics today: A world view SN - 9780205529315 U1 - 320.3 PY - 2008/// CY - New York PB - Pearson Longman N1 - Machine derived contents note: Contents -- PART ONE: Introduction -- Chapter 1: Issues in Comparative Politics -- What is Politics? -- Governments and the State of Nature -- Why Governments? -- When Does Government Become the Problem -- Political Systems and States -- The Diversity of States -- Building Community -- Fostering Economic Development -- Fostering Democracy, Human Rights, and Civil Liberties -- Looking Forward -- Critical Review Questions -- Key Terms -- Suggested Readings -- Chapter 2: Comparing Political Systems -- Why We Compare -- How We Compare -- Political Systems: Environment and Interdependence -- Political Systems: Structures and Functions -- An Illustrative Comparison: Regime Change in Russia -- The Policy Level: Performance, Outcome, and Evaluation -- How We Explain -- Critical Review Questions -- Key Terms -- Suggested Readings -- PART TWO: System, Process, and Policy -- Chapter 3: Political Culture and Political Socialization -- Mapping the Three Levels of Political Culture -- Why Culture Matters -- Political Socialization -- Agents of Political Socialization -- Trends Shaping Contemporary Political Cultures -- Critical Review Questions -- Key Terms -- Suggested Readings -- Chapter 4: Interest Articulation -- Citizen Action -- How Citizens Participate -- Interest Groups -- Interest Group Systems -- Access to the Influential -- Policy Perspectives on Interest Articulation -- Interest Group Development -- Critical Review Questions -- Key Terms -- Suggested Readings -- Chapter 5: Interest Aggregation and Political Parties -- Personal Interest Aggregation -- Institutional Interest Aggregation -- Competitive Party Systems and Interest Aggregation -- Authoritarian Party Systems -- The Military and Interest Aggregation -- Trends in Interest Aggregation -- Significance of Interest Aggregation -- Review Questions -- Key Terms -- Suggested Readings -- Chapter 6: Government and Policymaking -- Constitutions and Decision Rules -- Democracy and Authoritarianism -- Separation of Government Powers -- Geographic Distribution of Government Power -- Limitations on Government Power -- Checking the Top Policymakers -- Assemblies -- Political Executives -- Functions of the Chief Executive -- The Bureaucracy -- Review Questions -- Key Terms -- Suggested Readings -- Chapter 7: Public Policy -- Government and What It Does -- Distribution -- Extraction -- Regulation -- Community-building and Symbolic Policies -- Outcomes: Domestic Welfare -- Domestic Security Outcomes -- International Outputs and Outcomes -- Political Goods and Values -- Trade-offs and Opportunity Costs -- Review Questions -- Key Terms -- Suggested Readings -- PART THREE: Country Studies -- Chapter 8: Politics in Britain -- Country Bio¿United Kingdom -- Policy Challenges Facing Britain -- The Environment of Politics -- The Legacy of History -- The Structure of Government -- The Cabinet and Cabinet Ministers -- Political Culture and Legitimacy -- Political Socialization -- Political Participation -- Organizing Group Interest -- Party System and Electoral Choice -- Central Authority and Decentralized Delivery of Policies -- Policy Outcomes and Changes in Society -- Key Terms -- Suggested Readings -- Internet Sources -- Chapter 9: Politics in France -- Country Bio¿France -- Current Policy Challenges -- A Historical Perspective -- Economy and Society -- Constitution and Governmental Structure -- Political Culture -- Political Socialization -- Recruitment and Style of Elites -- Interest Groups -- Political Parties -- The Main Parties: Right and Center -- The State and Territorial Relations -- Key Terms -- Internet Sources -- Suggested Readings -- Chapter 10: Politics in Germany -- Country Bio¿Germany -- Current Policy Challenges -- The Historical Legacy -- Following Two Paths -- Social Forces -- The Institutions and Structure of Government -- Remaking Political Cultures -- Political Learning and Political Communication -- Citizen Participation -- Politics at the Elite Level -- Interest Groups -- The Party System -- The Role of Elections -- Party Government -- The Policy Process -- Policy Performance -- Addressing the Policy Challenges -- After the Revolution -- Key Terms -- Internet Sources -- Suggested Readings -- Chapter 11: Politics in Japan -- Current Policy Challenges -- Historical Origins of the Modern Japanese State -- The Occupation -- Political Institutions -- Electoral Systems and the Nature of Electoral Competition -- The Japanese Party System -- Political Participation and Voting Behavior -- Interest Groups -- Political Culture and Issue Cleavages -- Political Socialization -- The Policy-making Process -- Policy Performance -- Concluding Thoughts About Japanese Politics -- Key Terms -- Internet Sources -- Suggested Readings -- Chapter 12: Politics in Russia -- Country Bio¿Russia -- Rebuilding the Russian State -- Historical Legacies -- The Contemporary Constitutional Order -- Russian Political Culture in the Post-Soviet Period -- Political Participation -- Interest Articulation: Between Statism and Pluralism -- Parties and the Aggregation of Interest -- The Politics of Economic Reform -- Rule Adjudication: Toward the Rule of Law -- Russia and the International Community -- Key Terms -- Questions for Review -- Suggested Readings -- Chapter 13: Politics in China -- Country Bio¿China -- Current Policy Challenges -- Historical Setting -- Social Conditions -- Structure of the Party-State -- Political Socialization -- Political Culture -- Political Participation -- Interest Articulation and Aggregation -- Policymaking and Implementation -- Policy Performance -- Hong Kong -- Taiwan -- China¿s Political Future -- Key Terms -- Internet Sources -- Suggested Readings -- Chapter 14: Politics in Mexico -- Country Bio¿Mexico -- The Disputed Election of 2006 -- Historical Perspectives -- Political Culture and Socialization -- Political Structure and Institutions -- Recruiting the Political Elite -- Interest Representation and Political Control -- Political Parties -- Government Performance -- Mexico¿s Political Future -- Key Terms -- Internet Sources -- Study Questions -- Suggested Readings -- Chapter 15: Politics in Brazil -- Country Bio¿Brazil -- Current Policy Challenges -- Historical Perspectives -- Economy and Society -- Institutions and Structures of Government -- Political Culture -- How Democratic Are Brazilians -- Socialization and Mass Communication -- Political Recruitment and Political Participation -- Interest Groups -- Political Parties and Elections -- The Policymaking Process -- Policy Performance -- International Relations -- Prospects for the Future -- Key Terms -- Internet Sources -- Suggested Readings -- Chapter 16: Politics in Iran -- Country Bio¿Iran -- Current Policy Challenges -- Historical Legacy -- Institutions of the Islamic Republic -- Elections and Parties -- Political Culture -- Political Socialization -- Recruiting the Political Elite -- Interest Articulation and Aggregation -- Policy Formulation -- Policy Outcomes -- Conclusion -- Key Terms -- Suggested Readings -- Chapter 17: Politics in India -- Country Bio¿India -- Current Policy Challenges -- The Twin Legacies of Colonial Rule and the Anticolonial Movement -- The ¿Givens¿ of Indian Society: From Hierarchy to Plurality -- Political Institutions and the Policy Process -- The Federal Structure -- The Articulation of Interests -- The Party System -- Political Socialization and Political Culture -- Political Recruitment -- Policies to Address the Economy, Welfare, and Poverty -- Conclusion: Democracy and Development -- Key Terms -- Internet Sources -- Suggested Readings -- Chapter 18: Politics in Nigeria -- Country Bio¿Nigeria -- Current Policy Challenges -- The Effects of History -- Environmental Potential and Limitations -- Political Cultures and Subcultures -- Political Socialization -- Political Recruitment -- Political Structure -- Interest Articulation -- Political Participation -- Parties and Elections -- Policy Formation and Implementation -- Nigeria in Africa and in the World -- Prospects for Development -- Key Terms -- Internet Sources -- Suggested Readings -- Chapter 19: Politics in the United States -- Country Bio¿the United States -- Current Policy Challenges -- The United States Among the World¿s Systems -- The Constitutional System -- Political Culture and Socialization -- Political Participation and Recruitment -- Recruitment of Leaders -- Interest Articulation: Pressure Groups and PACs -- The Special Characteristics of American Political Parties -- A Special Consequence: Divided Party Control of Government -- The Policymaking Process in America -- Policy Performance -- American Exceptionalism: Myth or Reality? -- Conclusions -- Key Terms -- Review Questions -- Internet Sources -- Suggested Readings -- ER -