POLI 1104 - Introduction to Comparative Politics

The news each day brings questions about political and socio-economic events in different countries around the world. Why did Britain support - and France and Germany oppose - the war in Iraq? Why does religion play such a strong role in United States politics and Iran? Will rapid economic development trigger democratization in China? Are multi-ethnic states threatened by the centrifugal forces of ethno-nationalism? Are democracies well equipped to fight against terrorism? All such questions are the intellectual terrain of Comparative Politics. Answering them requires an understanding of the history, political institutions and processes in these countries. In this course, we will look at the political systems of a wide range of economically developed and developing countries, democracies and non-democracies: Brazil, Britain, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Pakistan, Russia and the United State. While analysing particular political institutions and arrangements in various countries and comparing them with those of others, we will also reflect upon the policy-making across diverse political systems.