Comparative Politics : Domestic Responses to Global Challenges

by Charles Hauss

Book Overview

Balancing theory with application and now in a new, exciting full-color design, Dr. Hauss' COMPARATIVE POLITICS is the best-selling comprehensive text for the Introduction to Comparative Politics course. The book uses a unique theme-DOMESTIC RESPONSES TO GLOBAL CHALLENGES-to introduce key concepts and examines the growing interdependence among strong and weak states through the discussion of 12 countries. The introduction establishes a comparative...

Customer Reviews

Exactly what I needed

The book was in great condition and was the right book that I needed for the class.

A Good Choice for AP Comparative Politics

As an AP Comparative Politics teacher, I have taught out of both the 4th and 5th editions of this book and have found it a good choice for a student text. I find it much more readable (particularly for high school seniors) than some of the more comprehensive texts. If you want to prepare your students adequately, however, you will need to supplement with outside material. For example, the Hauss text does not touch directly on political socialization which is a topic covered on the exam. I use Gabriel Almond's "Comparative Politics Today" as teacher resource. Hauss delves heavily into the historical background of many of the countries, in particular those in the "Third World" section. This can be helpful for students who have a weak world history background, but as a teacher you will need to emphasize AP exam vs. background material. Comments on the 5th edition vs. earlier editions: To follow the requirements of the new AP Comparative Gov't exam, this edition adds chapters on Nigeria and Iran. These chapters seem hastily done however as the Nigeria chapter in particular has several typos and the Iran chapter is comparatively short. Chapters on Japan and South Africa are no longer in the printed text but there are on-line chapters on these countries, as well as an on-line chapter on Canada, on the author's website. The 5th edition adds COLOR pictures which is a nice change from the 4th edition and makes the text somewhat more engaging for high school seniors, however compared to other high school texts visual appeal is not high on the publisher's priority list. In summary, a good choice for AP Comparative politics as long as the teacher recognizes the need to supplement from outside sources where necessary.

Great Service

Wonderful service, arrived in a timely fashion and book was in great condition. Thanks again, cheaper than my campus book store!

great text for high school students, not as good for college

I teach AP Government to 12th grade students and this is the book that we use. I have copies of other AP Comparative Pol. texts and this is the best one for high school students in my opinion.It is organized in an easy-to-understand format with excellent introductory chapters on each of the three major types of countries studied. Each country chapter is written in readable prose with pictures and feature boxes, which helps break up the monotony.There are some shortcomings, however. Mainly, the book does not pose a lot of real questions that require higher-level thinking. Also, what the chapters are really missing is a concise, simple explanation of the key elements of government (how members are elected, how legislation moves through, etc). These are some of the important facts that students should be familiar with. To any instructor using this book, I suggest you augment your class notes with information from other texts, such as Theen and Wilson's "Comparative Politics: An Introduction to Seven Countries."

AP Ace

This is a wonderful book. My school did not offer an AP Comparative Government and Politics class and I used this book and obtained a 5. The book is very detailed, informative, and interesting. It taught me so much about countries like Russia and China and led me to pursue my interests in international politics. Also, it's a great book to read if you just want to sound more intelligent when trying to argue against simple minded people who bill leaders such as Deng as "dictators." OK, yes Deng was a dictator, but look at what he did. This book gives an excellent perspective and is a must have for anyone interested in international politics and comparisons between various world superpowers.