Countries and Concepts: Politics, Geography, Culture, 13th edition

For courses in Introduction to Comparative Politics.

A country-by-country survey that highlights the relevance of comparative politics

Countries and Concepts: Politics, Geography, Culture examines the strengths and vulnerabilities of various political systems around the globe. Author Michael Roskin focuses on 11 countries, exploring the political culture, political institutions and political history of each. Roskin devotes significant attention to political geography, an area that is often neglected in today's classrooms.

The Updated 13th Edition highlights important recent developments, such as Brexit, Russia's conflict with Ukraine and the China's response to the Hong Kong protests.

Hallmark features of this title

• A general introductory chapter surveys the theory behind comparative politics, including the definition of democracy, the rise of states and modernization theory.
• A “Why This Country Matters” section at the beginning of each chapter explains what makes the country in question relevant to study.
• Engaging feature boxes in each chapter focus on common comparative elements such as geography and political culture to provide continuity.
• China Lessons features highlight how insights gleaned from studying the country in question can help to inform the potential evolution of democracy in China.
• Chapter-opening learning objectives prime students for the main points to come.
• Questions at the end of each chapter help students review the concepts they've learned.

New and updated features of this title

• UPDATED: The Updated 13th Edition has been revised to reflect recent political events around the world. Some of the most important updates include the following.
• The chapter on Britain covers the 2019 elections, Brexit and economic concerns.
• The chapter on Russia offers material on Putin and the undemocratic 2018 elections, the conflict in Ukraine and growing ties with China.
• The chapter on China highlights President Xi Jinping recentralizing power in himself, tightening control of Beijing over Hong Kong and protests, and the trade dispute with the United States.
• The chapter on Nigeria covers the 2019 elections and the attempts to establish democracy amidst instability and conflict.
• The chapter on Iran offers material on calls for change in recent elections (largely ignored by clerical power holders), the status of the Iran nuclear deal and tensions with the United States.