This course aims to provide students with a comprehensive introduction to important concepts, theories and debates that underpin the study of comparative politics. This course will focus on several key topics, including:

• How to account for differences between autocracies and democracies

• Variations in the institutional forms taken by different political systems

• Political transitions

• The varying role of governments in national economies

• Differences in political culture and citizen participation

Examples will be drawn from a variety of democratic and nondemocratic countries, including but not limited to the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, China, Nigeria, Iran, and Brazil.