Comparative Politics: Domestic Responses to Global Challenges - Softcover

Hauss, Charles; Haussman, Melissa

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1111832552 ISBN 13: 9781111832551

Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing, 2012

Synopsis

Balancing theory with application and featuring an exciting full-color design and an engaging, student-friendly writing style, COMPARATIVE POLITICS uses a unique theme--Domestic Responses to Global Challenges--to introduce key concepts and examine the growing interdependence of strong and weak states. COMPARATIVE POLITICS takes an in-depth look at eleven countries and the European Union, framed within broader discussions in the part-opening chapters on Industrialized Democracies, Communist Regimes, and Less Developed Countries. Four additional countries are available as online chapters or in a custom print solution: Brazil, Canada, Japan, and South Africa. The introduction establishes a comparative structure based on five themes: conflict, democratization, economic liberalization, globalization, and challenges, which are then explored for each country. The countries discussed are categorized by economic development, helping students hone their skills of comparison, synthesis, and interpretation by studying countries of similar economic status. With this uniquely effective text, students will gain an understanding of important political trends and concepts, an exposure to politics in a number of countries, and a desire to dig more deeply into the fascinating field of comparative politics.

About this title

About the Author:

Charles "Chip" Hauss wears two professional hats. He is the author of books on conflict resolution, comparative politics, and international relations. In 2013, he became editor of a series of books on Peace and Security in the Twenty-First Century and will write its first volume, tentatively entitled Security 2.0. He is also Government Liaison at the Alliance for Peacebuilding. He received his BA from Oberlin College and his MA and PhD from The University of Michigan. Before joining the Alliance, he spent 17 years each teaching at Colby College, Reading University (UK), and George Mason University. Hauss has taught a variety of courses in comparative politics, international relations, and peace studies. As an academic and as an activist, his work has been held together by an interest in and commitment to large scale, nonviolent political and social change. He can be reached at chiphauss@gmail.com.

Melissa Haussman is Associate Professor of Political Science at Carleton University in Ontario, Canada. She teaches in both the U.S. politics and comparative North American fields. Her scholarship has generally focused on questions of women's access to power through gendered policymaking on reproductive rights in North America and representation in political institutions. She is the author of numerous works, including the books ABORTION POLITICS IN NORTH AMERICA (Lynne Rienner Press, 2005), and co-editor of FEDERALISM, FEMINISM, AND MULTILEVEL GOVERNANCE (Ashgate Press, June 2010) and GENDERING THE STATE IN THE AGE OF GLOBALIZATION: WOMEN'S MOVEMENTS AND STATE FEMINISM IN THE POST-INDUSTRIAL DEMOCRACIES (Boulder: Rowman and Littlefield Press, 2007). Book chapters include: "Framing the Harper Government: 'Gender Neutral' Electoral Appeals while Being Gender-Negative in Caucus," (with L. Pauline Rankin) in Allan M. Maslove, ed., HOW OTTAWA SPENDS, 2009-10 (McGill-Queen's University Press); and "Buy American or Buy Canadian? Government Procurement Policies under International Trade Agreements," in G. Bruce Doern and Chris Stoney, eds., HOW OTTAWA SPENDS, 2010-11 (McGill-Queen's); journal articles include: "Can a Woman be Elected President? Strategic Considerations under Reformed Nomination and Financing Rules," White House Studies, 1, 3 (Nov 2001): 349-366.

Review:

"The most difficult aspect of teaching comparative politics is finding a way to briefly describe quite a few countries in a limited time-frame, but in a way that students remember the information. Hauss' book does a nice job of keeping the chapters a reasonable length, written in easy-to-understand language, and gives a nice variety of countries to choose from.... I like the organization of the chapters in Hauss. I also like that it has a chapter leading into each new section, so there is a chapter on industrialized countries, current and former communist countries, etc. It provides a sort of capstone chapter before we get into individual countries, so we can discuss larger patterns.... It is the best of the books I reviewed."

"One of the great problems with texts in the field of comparative government is that they are BORING! For my money, the Hauss text is the most readable work available in the field today. The author's writing style is appropriate for students taking their first course in comparative government and commands their interest."

"[The book's] greatest strengths are: 1. Its narrative is lively, written in an appropriate style for first time comparative government students. 2. The material contained in this work is accurate. 3. The material contained in this work is current and uses contemporary examples 4. The work is organized in a similar fashion to my course and contains all of the countries I examine in the course."

"COMPARATIVE POLITICS is a very broad field in terms of concepts, theories, expertise of countries and regions and field development. It is difficult to decide on a book especially at the introductory level to be simple and easy while covering most of the themes. Most will expect a very thick book and lengthy discussions. I found this book includes many simple and easy discussions of difficult topics that will be well received by students and instructors."

About this edition

• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1111832552
• ISBN 13: 9781111832551
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 584