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Understanding Comparative Politics
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Understanding Comparative Politics
An Inclusive Approach

First Edition
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January 2024 | 776 pages | CQ Press
"Baglione speaks cogently to our current generation of college students, who came of age amidst resurgent racism and an unprecedented pandemic."
—Audie Klotz, Syracuse University


It’s time for a new approach to help students engage more fully with comparative politics.

By elevating all the components of identity as core elements of any political system, Lisa A. Baglione's Understanding Comparative Politics helps students better appreciate the lived realities of people around the world. The book puts issues of race, gender, ethnicity, and religion in context, encouraging students to think critically about world regions and individual countries through the lens of current issues like social justice movements and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Throughout the book, Baglione empowers students to be active learners in this sometimes-daunting subject by engaging them in important questions, grounding them in foundational concepts like geography, and helping them make personal connections.

 
Chapter 1: Getting Started: Inclusivity and Building a Foundation with Concepts and Data
 
Chapter 2: Understanding Democracy: Definition, Institutions, Ideas, and Norms
 
Chapter 3: Taking a Look at Europe
 
Chapter 4: Politics in the U.K.: How Did British Politics Go from Staid to Unstable?
 
Chapter 5: Overview of Communism: Revolution, Political Institutions, Political Economy and Political Culture
 
Chapter 6: Taking a Look: Post-Soviet States
 
Chapter 7: Politics in Russia: Why Is Authoritarianism So Seemingly Stable Despite Earlier Hopes for Democratic Change?
 
Chapter 8: Taking a Look: East, Southeast, and South (ESEA) Asia
 
Chapter 9: Politics in China: How Can Such Economic Success Exist with Political Repression?
 
Chapter 10: Overview of the Global South: Experiences with Globalization
 
Chapter 11: Taking a Look at Latin America
 
Chapter 12: Politics in Mexico: How Can Democratization Proceed with Such Inequality, Corruption, and Violence?
 
Chapter 13: Taking a Look at the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
 
Chapter 14: Politics in Egypt: Why & How the “Arab Spring” Became the Egyptian Winter
 
Chapter 15: Taking a Look at Sub-Saharan Africa
 
Chapter 16: Politics in Nigeria: Why Can’t the Giant of Africa Awake?
 
Chapter 17: Concluding Your Studies: What You’ve Learned from a Data-Intensive, Interactive, Concept-Focused, and Inclusive Approach to Comparative Politics

Supplements

Instructor Resource Site
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LMS cartridge included with this title for use in Blackboard, Canvas, Brightspace by Desire2Learn (D2L), and Moodle

The LMS cartridge makes it easy to import this title’s instructor resources into your learning management system (LMS). These resources include:
  • Test banks
  • Editable chapter-specific PowerPoint® slides
  • Sample course syllabi
  • Lecture notes
  • All tables and figures from the textbook
Don’t use an LMS platform?

You can still access the online resources for this title via the password-protected Instructor Resource Site.

"Understanding Comparative Politics stands out among recent textbooks in comparative politics in its refined and inclusive 'hybrid' approach, which integrates an analytic understanding of enduring concepts in the field with empirical insights about a set of important countries, each discussed within their respective regional settings and historical contexts. Students will get to know about the world while also learning how to think comparatively about familiar topics in political science as well as oft-ignored issues like gender."

Rudra Sil
University of Pennsylvania, Perelman Center for Political Science & Economics

"Baglione speaks cogently to our current generation of college students, who came of age amidst resurgent racism and an unprecedented pandemic. Instead of concentrating only on countries or trumpeting the triumph of democracy, this innovative textbook sets the global context by highlighting core concepts across geographical regions and time periods. And by systematically incorporating intersectionality, Baglione offers a model for both pedagogy and research."

Audie Klotz
Syracuse University

What I really like about this new volume is that it explicitly engages DEI issues: the issue of gender, for example, is particularly well-woven throughout all the chapters. Political science classes are highly informed by ongoing national headlines and national political discourses. Given this, DEI discussions have been central. I am glad that this book integrates them directly.

Dilshod Achilov
University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth

The book focuses on regional politics and important introductory concepts are explored within regions and case studies. Up-to-the-minute current events are included, and the treatment of gender and intersectionality is compelling and novel, without sounding high-minded and paternalistic or in any way sacrificing academic rigor.

Trevor J. Allen
Central Connecticut State University

It is written in an easy-to-follow style, the chapters are not too long, and the organization of the book is ideal for how I would like to teach this course: balancing abstract concepts, theories, and themes with specific examples from the real world.

Allison Evans
University of Nevada, Reno

The book does a good job of showing how intersectional issues permeate politics, which could be really useful for my students, who don't typically think of the world in these terms. The historical discussion is clear and engaging, and the examination of different approaches to ethnic conflict is accessible.

Matthew Rhodes-Purdy
Clemson University

The use of unique and often marginalized regions and concepts is distinct. It is much less Euro-centric than many other Comparative texts on the market.

Emily B. Stacey
Rose State College

This book seems to have a rather innovative approach that really helps incorporate a more constructivist perspective by identifying the significance of gender, religion, and other societal attributes.

Zachary Taylor
University of Wyoming

This text is a well-written and well-organized introduction for students of all majors to Comparative Politics.

Erich Frankland
Casper College

This textbook provides comprehensive coverage of important country case studies but uses a new approach by focusing on intersectionality in terms of gender, race, class, etc.

Gunther M. Hega
Western Michigan University
Key features
  • This text is available in Sage Vantage, an intuitive learning platform that integrates quality Sage textbook content with assignable multimedia activities and auto-graded assessments to drive student engagement and ensure accountability. Unparalleled in its ease of use and built for dynamic teaching and learning, Vantage offers customizable LMS integration and best-in-class support.
    • Flashcards and note-taking tools help students better prepare for class.
    • NEW! Audiobook Player allows students to listen to text content, boosting comprehension and retention. It offers flexible, on-the-go access, engaging both reluctant readers and auditory learners, improving the overall reading experience.
    • The Offline Reading option in the Student Dashboard offers greater accessibility to Vantage’s reading content, regardless of where students are or how strong their internet connection may be.
  • A focus on gender and other elements of identity across countries and cultures encourages students to think critically about how these elements influence world politics.
  • "Taking a Look" chapters frame the politics of regions around the world, and case study chapters dive further into particular countries.
  • Short question features throughout each chapter provoke reactions and analysis as students read.
  • Review and Critical Thinking questions at the end of each chapter enforce key concepts and help students make connections.
  • Maps throughout the text help students better situate the regions or countries being explored.
Vantage Reference: 
Understanding Comparative Politics- Vantage Learning Platform

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