Comparative Politics in the 21st Century

Comparative Politics in the 21st Century provides an introduction to the fundamental principles of comparative politics in a way which is easily accessible to students who have had limited to no exposure to comparative politics or political science. It is meant to be used in conjunction with supplementary articles, lectures, and media. With that in mind, this book does not shy away from the traditional questions of comparative politics, but instead tries to connect them with events students would be familiar with. The presentation of this book is designed to be in a more colloquial language that non-political science students should find more readily accessible.

The chapters are written to be condensed and to the point. The goal is to pack as much information into as small a space as reasonably possible. There is a two-fold justification for this—as a student, I disliked the excess wasted space in textbooks and the high cost of the books. To that end, by keeping the book as compressed as was reasonable keeps the cost of the book low while still giving students a good covering of the important concepts of comparative politics. Environmental considerations provided the factor to the shorter nature of the book, and also why it is predominately offered as an e-book.

This book also seeks to tackle the newer area of politics and technology. Technology has been an ever-increasing part of our daily lives, and the relationship between it and politics is an exciting new area of study. Unfortunately, due to it being a new area, many older textbooks (and several newer ones) do not adequately address it. Given the importance of this subject going into the future, I believe it is something that should be given its own attention alongside the more “traditional” components of comparative politics.