Comparative Politics Today is the text that defined the discipline of comparative politics and continues to set the standard for the course with the most current country study chapters and best Web site available. The Eighth Edition of this market-leading text offers the most current and respected introduction to comparative politics available, with several updated country studies and a robust Web site. As in the previous editions, theoretical chapters (Chs. 1 - 7) at the beginning of the book explore the "purpose of government" and provide students with a framework for understanding comparative politics. The theoretical section is followed by 12 individual country studies, written by experts in the politics of those nations.