Includes bibliographical references and index.

Part1 Introduction-- Comparative Inquiry -- Issues of Theory and Comparative Inquiry -- Past Influences -- Outline of This Study -- State and Systems Theories -- Culture Theories -- Developmental Theories -- Class Theories -- Political Economy Theories -- Into the 1990s: Assessment of Old and New Directions -- References -- Part 2 Ideology and Epistemology -- Ideology and Issues of Comparative Politics -- Myth and Reality of Politics -- Politics and the Profession -- Scholarship, Ethics, and the Establishment -- Social Science and Government -- Social Science and the Multinationals -- Summary -- References -- Politics and the Science of Politics in Comparative Inquiry -- The Search for Paradigms (Synthesizing the Field of Comparative Analysis) -- Three Approaches -- Identification of Paradigms -- Historical Roots and Fundamental Premises of the Paradigmatic Search -- Positivist Thought: The Legacy of Thinkers and Concepts in the Movement to Establish a Mainstream Paradigm -- The Early Positivists -- The Early Political Sociologists -- The Early Behaviorists -- Historicist Thought: Past and Present in the Movement to Establish an Alternative Paradigm -- The Early Historicists -- Later Historicist Influences and Trends -- Summary Comparison of Dominant Paradigms in Comparative Politics -- References -- Marx and Weber as Precursors -- Karl Marx -- Early Works: 1840-1845 -- Works of the Break: 1845 and 1846 -- Transitional Works: 1846-1857 -- Mature Works: 1857-1883 -- Max Weber -- Early Works: 1889-1897 -- Works on Religion and Secularity: 1903-1920 -- Works on Political Sociology and Methodology -- Marx and Weber in Perspective -- Paradigmatic Influences on Comparative Politics -- State Theory -- Culture Theory -- Development Theory -- Class Theory -- References --Part 3 Theoretical Directions -- Theories of System and State -- Mainstream Theories of System -- Understanding the Systems Terminology -- Origins and Orientations of Systems Theory -- Systems as Organic or Physiological: David Easton and General Systems Theory -- Easton’s Framework -- Origins of Thought and Influences That Shaped Easton’s Interpretation -- Some Criticisms of the Eastonian Framework -- Systems as Structure and Function: Gabriel Almond and His Precursors -- Almond’s Formulation -- Origins of Thought and Influences on Almond -- Macro-Structural Functionalism or Grand Theory -- Micro-Structural Functionalism and Partial or Middle-Range Theory -- Criticisms of Almond and Structural Functionalism -- Alternative Perspectives of System -- System in a Dialectical Materialist Perspective -- Systems Analysis in a Socialist Society -- Directions for a Radical Understanding of Systems Theory -- Implications of Approaches to Systems Theory -- Toward a Theory of the State -- Mainstream Theories of the State -- Pluralist Capitalist Perspective -- Institutional Perspective -- Corporatist Perspective -- Bureaucratic Authoritarian Perspective -- Alternative Theories of the State -- Pluralist Socialist Perspective -- Instrumentalist Perspective -- Structuralist Perspective -- Feminist Perspective -- References -- Theories of Political Culture: Individual and Movement in the Struggle for Collectivity and the New Person -- The Mainstream Conceptualization of Culture and Political Culture -- Interpretations of Political Culture at a General Level -- Interpretations of Political Culture at a Specific Level -- Communication Studies -- Socialization Studies -- A Critique of Culture Theory -- Toward an Alternative -- Rational-Choice Theory and Formal Modeling -- Marxist Rational Choice -- New Social Movements -- Radical Views of Culture -- Cultural Spheres and Socialist Experiences -- The Soviet Union -- China -- Cuba -- Prospects for a Theory of Political Culture -- References -- Theories of Development and Underdevelopment -- Political Development -- Development and Nationalism -- Modernization -- Stage Theory and Modernization -- Modernization and Decay of Society -- The Politics of Modernization -- Criticism of Mainstream Theories -- Underdevelopment -- Capitalist Development in the Center and Underdevelopment in the Periphery -- Unequal Development -- Uneven Development -- Dependency -- Definitions of Dependency -- Approaches to Dependency Theory -- Desarrollista, Structuralist, National Autonomous Development -- Internal Colonialism -- Poles of Development -- Dependent Capitalist Development -- Monopoly Capitalism -- Subimperialism -- Capitalist Development of Underdevelopment -- New Dependency -- The Lack of a Unified Dependency Theory: A Critical Assessment -- Is Dependency Theory Really Dead? -- Imperialism -- Hobson: Domestic Underconsumption as a Cause of Imperialism -- Kautsky: Peaceful Resolution of Imperialism -- Schumpeter: Withering Away of Imperialism -- Galtung: Structural Theory of Imperialism -- Luxemburg and Bukharin: Accumulation of Capital and Imperialism -- Lenin: Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism -- Baran and Sweezy and Magdoff: Monopoly Capital and the Multinationals -- The Prospects for a Theory of Development -- References -- Theories of Class: From Pluralist Elite to Ruling Class and Mass -- Pluralism -- Pluralism and the Elitist Theory of Democracy -- Pluralism and Polyarchy -- Pluralism and Socialism -- Pluralism and the New Social Movements -- Analytical Marxism and Rational Choice -- Instrumentalism -- The Legacy of Power Structure in the Community -- Power Structure and Instrumentalism: Mills and Domhoff -- Marxist Instrumentalism: Miliband -- Criticism of Instrumentalist Theory -- Structuralism -- Structuralism in Marx and Lévi-Strauss -- Political Structuralism: Gramsci, Althusser, and Poulantzas -- Structuralism and the Middle Classes -- The New Structuralism -- Economic Structuralism: Sweezy and Baran and O’Connor -- Class Analysis of the Modern World System: Wallerstein -- Criticism of Structuralist Theory -- Criticalism: Ideology and Consciousness -- Statism and Class Struggle -- The Issues of a Class Analysis -- The Role of State and Ruling Class -- Class Categories of Analysis -- Levels of Conceptualization of Class -- Relationship of Base and Superstructure -- Implications of Precapitalist and Capitalist Social Formations -- References -- Part 4 Conclusion -- Political Economy and a Reconstitution of Comparative Politics and Political Science -- Toward a Marxist Understanding of Political Economy -- Pedagogy -- Theory -- Method -- Concept -- Origins and Evolution of Political Economy -- Theorists of the Ancient and Middle Ages -- The Mercantilists -- The Classical Liberals -- The Utopian Socialists -- Marx -- The Marginalist Neoclassicists -- The Keynesians -- The Post-Keynesians -- The Neo-Marxists -- Guidelines for the Study of Political Economy -- Accumulation -- International Political Economy and Theories of Imperialism and Dependency -- Comparative Political Economy and Theories of State and Class -- References -- Appendix 1: Notes on Comparative Terminology -- Theory and Inquiry -- Aspects of Theory -- Concepts -- Generalizations, Propositions, and Hypotheses -- Types and Levels -- Approaches -- Models and Paradigms -- Methods and Inquiry -- Conclusion -- References -- Appendix 2: The General Literature of Comparative Politics Since 1980 -- Appraisals of the Field -- Texts -- Readers -- Comparative Series -- Cross-National Studies -- Thematic Comparisons -- Comparative Journals -- Reference Works -- References -- About the Book and Author -- Index.

Extensively revised and updated, this classic text revisits the central problem of searching for mainstream and alternative paradigms to guide us in comparative political inquiry. Building upon the first edition's comprehensive and systematic overview of frameworks, ideologies, and theories, the second edition highlights new directions and developments over the past decade, including the continuation of ideological political science methodological innovations such as rational-choice, historical, and postbehavioural approaches new emphases on and links between political culture and participation the recasting of modernization theory and the revitalization of class analysis and a thoroughgoing post-Keynesian political economy point of view. The second edition continues the tradition of the first in updating what one reviewer commended as outstanding, excellent annotated bibliographies at the end of each chapter and the thorough survey of the general literature of comparative politics at the end of the book." In addition, the new edition includes an appendix of definitions that facilitate clarity and understanding of political science terminology, important for students at every level from the introductory on up. In a post-Cold War world in which challenges to comparative inquiry abound, ethnic conflict, authoritarian repression, state building and disintegration, new industrialization and postindustrialization, security systems redefined, the search for new paradigms that Theories of Comparative Politics represents gains in importance daily. -- provided by publisher.