The Good Society: An Introduction to Comparative Politics - Softcover

I am highly impressed with this text. I have reviewed perhaps ten of its competitors in the last decade and I can honestly say that this is by far the best of the crop. It is engaging, it is well-written, and its emphasis on imparting usable and interesting information that is actually good political science is very unusual and most welcome. In short, it's a winner. -Zoltan Barany, University of Texas at Austin Teachers of comparative politics will be grateful for this book. Draper and Ramsay have given unity to a wide range of diverse topics in the field by asking how political institutions affect citizens' quality of life. This theme will motivate students. And the authors follow up with a wonderfully teachable selection of issues and countries. -Andrew Nathan, Columbia University The Good Society is a welcome addition to introductory texts in comparative politics. The combination of the capabilities approach, institutional analysis, regime types and case studies is coherent, compelling and convincing. -John Cotman, Howard University This text responds to a widely felt need to improve instruction in introductory survey courses in Comparative Politics by offering a sound analytical anchor for cross-national comparison. This text is timely and forward-looking. -Boyka Stefanova, University of Texas at San Antonio The text's approach and rationale bode well for teaching comparative politics in the era of global liberal education. I find the writing engaging and the introduction involves students in the explanation for a different approach to the study of comparative politics. -Cheryl Brown, University of North Carolina at Charlotte What distinguishes this text from other texts in the field is the fact that it is truly integrative, thematic, and contains more diverse scholarship than any other comparative politics text I have seen. Even though the chapters contain cutting edge scholarship in the field, they are written and developed in a way that makes them accessible to undergraduates. This is truly a gift! -Jennifer Leigh Disney, Winthrop University I was impressed by the analysis of the authors on the state of comparative politics textbooks. It mirrored my experience over many years, and it was good to find others who had struggled with the matter and who had raised the question, "Why study comparative politics?" if it turned out to be a cheap version of the grand tour-a major country a week in profile. The Sen-Nussbaum capability approach is a creative way to measure performance, but I also appreciate their discussion that makes the study of institutions still of prime importance to understanding the dynamics of politics within that society. -James Rhodes, Luther College I think the idea of normative standards is a real strength of the book and one that is not covered well elsewhere. This could provide considerable room for class discussions, which instructors enjoy. The book's division of the world into regime types is a way that political scientists often think about the world, and I think it is a good pedagogical tool. -Andrew Roberts, Northwestern University It is quite compelling that the authors have made it a point to compare various systems with the current US political system, so as to highlight some of the pros and cons of each system. Equally good and balanced is the authors' treatment of economic institutions, more specifically market systems, which are not frequently dealt with in other standard textbooks on Comparative Politics. -Kristian Alexander, University of Utah This innovative thematic text book makes use of the comparative method to expose students to important concepts in comparative politics. The text is consistent and well organized around testing how different institutional arrangements and other factors may contribute to a good society. The "testing" aspect is very refreshing and gives students a feel for different kinds of "evidence" in comparative politics. -Druscilla Scribner, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh

Combining thematic and country approaches to show students what comparative politics is really about, The Good Society organizes itself around a key question-why are some countries better than others at improving their citizens' lives? This brief survey offers a focused look at political institutions and uses in-depth country studies to compare how different institutional arrangements yield different political results. By concentrating on how politics affects citizens' lives, The Good Society offers a uniquely relevant introduction to comparative politics that goes to the heart of the field and helps students develop a critical point-of-view.