Why has Japan found it easier than the United States to pursue a consistent industrial policy? Why does Britain provide health care collectively whereas France relies on private provision? Why is the American government unable to ensure the safety of its citizens whereas personal safety is not even an issue in Japan? Such questions are central to the study of comparative public politics and this textbook, first published in 1992, seeks to answer them by integrating policy analysis with mainstream comparative politics. The authors examine power and policy in four liberal democracies: France, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. They provide an introduction to the politics of these four leading democracies, setting out the actors, arenas and agendas of policy in each country. The following sections explore four contrasting areas of policy: industrial, health, ethnic minorities and law and order. In the final part these countries and sectors are discussed from the perspectives of policy implementation, evaluation and comparison.

Why has Japan found it easier than the United States to pursue a consistent industrial policy? Why does Britain provide health care collectively whereas France relies on private provision? Why is the American government unable to ensure the safety of its citizens whereas personal safety is not even an issue in Japan? Such questions are central to the study of comparative public politics and this textbook, first published in 1992, seeks to answer them by integrating policy analysis with mainstream comparative politics. The authors examine power and policy in four liberal democracies: France, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. They provide an introduction to the politics of these four leading democracies, setting out the actors, arenas and agendas of policy in each country. The following sections explore four contrasting areas of policy: industrial, health, ethnic minorities and law and order. In the final part these countries and sectors are discussed from the perspectives of policy implementation, evaluation and comparison.

This is a thoroughly revised and updated tenth edition of the classic text in the field of comparative politics. Now co-authored by John McCormick, this comprehensive and lively text continues to introduce students to the key concepts, approaches and arguments that will enable them to successfully compare the fundamentals, structures and processes of political systems across the globe.

Taking full account of the institutions of government and the different political cultures that both influence and are impacted by political developments, the authors offer detailed analysis of democracies and authoritarian regimes. This edition includes a much wider range of international case studies, particularly expanded to include more from Latin America and Africa and to reflect the emerging powers on the world stage.

The book is also newly supported by a variety of carefully designed supporting features:

• Spotlights on individual countries offer profiles of the different types of political systems around the world
• Chapter Previews, Overviews, Key Arguments, Discussion Questions and Further Reading help consolidate knowledge
• New Focus boxes give more insight into important issues discussed in the text
• Key Concepts are defined throughout the text in a concise and easily digestible style.

This renowned text is the essential, and accessible, introduction to the study of comparative politics for students of political science everywhere.

The classic introduction to political science has been comprehensively updated for this new edition. Retaining the clarity of expression and breadth of coverage that has made it the introduction of choice for generations of students, it provides a lively and up-to-date account of the events and forces shaping politics in today's interconnected world.
Thoroughly updated throughout, this new edition includes separate chapters on theoretical approaches and research strategies in political science, as well as increased coverage of security, media, culture, law and regulation.
Carefully designed learning features illustrate the text throughout. These include:
- full-page Profiles on individual countries and the European Union, with associated Spotlights linked to each chapter
- on-page glossary definitions for key terms and timelines of key events
- guides to additional learning resources for each chapter
- a companion website providing additional resources and activities
The companion website is available at www.palgrave.com/politics/hague and provides:
- a dictionary of comparative politics
- debates showing both sides of major controversies
- interactive quizzes and essay questions
- a guide to comparative politics on the internet
- web links and an at-a-glance guide to chapter references
- chapter summaries

"This revised and updated edition of a core textbook - one of the most well-established texts in the field of comparative politics - offers a comprehensive introduction to the comparison of governments and political systems, helping students to understand not just the institutions and political cultures of their own countries but also those of a wide range of democracies and authoritarian regimes from around the world. The book opens with an overview of key theories and methods for studying comparative politics and moves on to a study of major institutions and themes, such as the state, constitutions and courts, elections, voters, interest groups and political economy. In addition, two common threads run throughout the chapters in this edition - the reversal of democracy and declining trust in government - ensuring that the book fully accounts for the rapid developments in politics that have taken place across the world in recent times. Written by a team of experienced textbook authors and featuring a range of engaging learning features, this book is an essential text for undergraduate and postgraduate courses on comparative politics, comparative government, introduction to politics and introduction to political science. New to this Edition: - New and extended coverage of important topics such as authoritarian states, identities, ethnicity and political violence - A brand new chapter on political economy - An engaging new page design, in full colour for the first time - An enhanced companion website, now providing an extensive testbank of questions for lecturers - Publishing alongside John McCormick's new book on Cases in Comparative Government and Politics (October 2019), which offers more detailed coverage of the cases covered in this text." Accompanying online resources for this title can be found at bloomsburyonlineresources.com/comparative-government-and-politics. These resources are designed to support teaching and learning when using this textbook and are available at no extra cost.

'...a very superior textbook, avoiding most of the pitfalls of the genre...the wheat-to-chaff ratio is gratifyingly high, in a field with more chaff than most...it must have been a difficult book to write; by any consumer test it rates a range of stars and a 'best buy' recommendation.' - Ivor Crewe, Times Higher Education Supplement '...a lively, readable introductory textbook.' - Talking Politics