This text provides students with an overview of the concepts, models and institutions necessary for the comparative study of political systems. It combines a description of the development and classification of political systems with up-to-date analysis of the social environment for politics, the structure and function of political systems, methods of system maintenance and the dynamics of political change. The text is organized and presented in a style accessible to students approaching these topics for the first time, and is illustrated throughout with tables, figures and summary boxes.
