Understanding The Political World A Comparative Introduction To Political Science

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Grasp the Ever-Changing Nature of International Politics

Understanding the Political World gives readers deeper insight into the continually evolving nature of international politics. Presenting key concepts, relevant research findings, and detailed explanations, the Twelfth Edition offers readers a path to understanding the challenges of politics and political differences. The text explores the subject matter from a comprehensive and comparative standpoint, using real examples from different international political systems to demonstrate how politics are understood throughout the world. By directly questioning readers to understand and explain what they know, Understanding the Political World brings an abstract subject into focus by relating it to readers’ opinions and lives. Through real examples of political institutions and processes, readers can better understand the nature of global politics.

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MyPoliSciLab for Comparative Politics courses extends learning online, engaging students and improving results. Media resources with assignments bring concepts to life, and offer students opportunities to practice applying what they’ve learned. And the Writing Space helps educators develop and assess concept mastery and critical thinking through writing, quickly and easily. Please note: this version of MyPoliSciLab does not include an eText.

0134113934 / 9780134113937  Understanding the Political World plus MyPoliSciLab for Comparative Politics – Access Card Package, 12/e

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• 0133941477 / 9780133941470 Understanding the Political World, 12/e
• 0134064054 / 9780134064055 MyPoliSciLab for Comparative Politics Access Card

Understanding the Political World, Twelfth Edition is also available via REVEL™, an immersive learning experience designed for the way today's students read, think, and learn. 

• 0133941477 / 9780133941470 Understanding the Political World, 12/e
• 0134064054 / 9780134064055 MyPoliSciLab for Comparative Politics Access Card

Understanding the Political World gives readers deeper insight into the continually evolving nature of international politics. Presenting key concepts, relevant research findings, and detailed explanations, the Twelfth Edition offers readers a path to understanding the challenges of politics and political differences. The text explores the subject matter from a comprehensive and comparative standpoint, using real examples from different international political systems to demonstrate how politics are understood throughout the world. By directly questioning readers to understand and explain what they know, Understanding the Political World brings an abstract subject into focus by relating it to readers opinions and lives. Through real examples of political institutions and processes, readers can better understand the nature of global politics.

Also availablewith MyPoliSciLab

James N. Danziger is a Research Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Irvine, where he also has served as Chair of the Department of Political Science, campus-wide Dean of Undergraduate  Education, and Chair of the Academic Senate. He is recipient of many honors and awards, including a Marshall Scholarship (to Great Britain), a Foreign Area Fellowship, Woodrow Wilson Fellowship, Phi Beta Kappa, and an IBM Faculty Award. He received the first UC Irvine Distinguished Faculty Lectureship Award for Teaching in 1987, the UC Irvine Distinguished Service Award in 1997, and the campus’ highest honor, the Extraordinarius Award in 2009. His Ph.D. is from Stanford University, and he has held visiting appointments at the universities of Aarhus (Denmark), Pittsburgh, and Virginia. His research has received awards from the American Political Science Association and the American Society for Public Administration. He has published extensively, particularly on information technology and politics, and been an active participant in local politics.

Charles Anthony Smith received his PhD in political science from the University of California-San Diego (2004) and his JD from the University of Florida (1987). He is an Associate Professor at the University of California-Irvine. His books include The Rise and Fall of War Crimes Trials: from Charles I to Bush II (NY: Cambridge University Press, 2012), and Globalizing Human Rights (NY: Routledge 2014). He has published articles in Law & Society Review, Political Research Quarterly, Justice System Journal, International Political Science Review, Judicature, Journal of Human Rights, Election Law Journal, Studies in Law, Politics & Society, Human Rights Review, Journal of International Relations & Development among other journals and published chapters in edited volumes with Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, and University of Pennsylvania Press, among others. He has served as guest editor for special issues of the Journal of Human Rights and Human Rights Review. His research considers the role of courts, law, and litigation in the contestation over a variety of types of rights. He considers this unifying research theme using a variety of methodologies in the context of the United States, in comparative contexts, and in the realm of international relations and globalization. He has won a variety of awards for both his teaching and research.

Part I: On Knowing the Political World

1.                Politics and Knowledge

Part II: Political Behavior

2.                Political Theory and Political Beliefs

3.                Political Actions

4.                Influences on Beliefs and Actions

Part III: Political Systems

5.                Political Systems, States, and Nations

6.                Political Institutions I: Institutional Structures

7.                Political Institutions II: Institutional Arrangements

8.                Political Economy

Part IV: Political Processes

9.               Public Policy, Power, and Decision

10.             Change and Political Development

11.             Politics Across Borders

12.             Political Violence

Part V: Politics Among States

13.             The Developed Countries of the Global North

14.             The Developing Countries of the Global South

15.             The Transitional Developed Countries