Since the collapse of communism in 1989 Eastern Europe has experienced a fundamental transformation in its economic, political and social institutions. Observers of the region have often viewed the media as little more than instruments of propaganda in the hands of the party-state which can now be easily made into independent sources of communication. However, the function and effects of the media within communist and post-communist Eastern Europe have been more diverse than such generalizations would indicate.

Essentials of Comparative Politics is the best-selling book for the course because it provides clear, concise, and contemporary coverage of core concepts in flexible, affordable formats. The Eighth Edition goes even further to address course needs with new coverage of the methods used by comparativists to answer contemporary questions in the discipline. With new Check Your Understanding questions and Dynamic Data Figures in the Norton Illumine Ebook, in addition to InQuizitive, Norton’s adaptive learning tool, students have even more support in learning the core concepts of comparative politics and applying them to real-world examples.

Cases and Concepts in Comparative Politics bridges the gap between understanding and doing comparative politics. Concepts are presented in the context of real situations with pedagogy that asks students to apply their new knowledge immediately in country case studies. Students spend more time actually doing the work of comparative politics. Through Dynamic Data Figures in the Norton Illumine Ebook, in addition to InQuizitive, students have even more support in learning the core concepts of comparative politics and applying them to real-world examples.