Comparative politics : a theoretical framework / Gabriel A. Almond ... [and others].

Includes bibliographical references and index.

pt. 1. Introduction -- 1. Issues in comparative politics -- What is politics? -- Governments and the state of nature -- Why governments? -- When does government become the problem? -- Political systems and states -- The diversity of states -- Building community -- Fostering economic development -- Fostering democracy, human rights, and civil liberties -- Looking forward -- Review questions -- Key terms -- Suggested readings -- 2. Comparing political systems -- Why we compare -- How we compare -- Political systems : environment and interdependence -- Political systems : structures and functions -- An illustrative comparison : regime change in Russia -- The policy level : performance, outcome, and evaluation -- How we explain -- Review questions -- Key terms -- Suggested readings -- part 2. System, process, and policy -- 3. Political culture and political socialization -- Mapping the three levels of political culture -- Why culture matters -- Political socialization -- Agents of political socialization -- Trends shaping contemporary political cultures -- Review questions -- Key terms -- Suggested readings -- 4. Interest articulation -- Citizen action -- How citizens participate -- Interest groups -- Interest group systems -- Access to the influential -- Policy perspectives on interest articulation -- Interest group development -- Review questions -- Key terms -- Suggested readings -- 5. Interest aggregation and political parties -- Personal interest aggregation -- Institutional interest aggregation -- Competitive party systems and interest aggregation -- Authoritarian party systems -- The military and interest aggregation -- Trends in interest aggregation -- Significance of interest aggregation -- Review questions -- Key terms -- Suggested readings -- 6. Government and policymaking -- Constitutions and decision rules -- Democracy and authoritarianism -- Separation of government powers -- Geographic distribution of government power -- Limitations on government power -- Checking the top policymakers -- Assemblies -- Political executives -- The bureaucracy -- Review questions -- Key terms -- Suggested readings -- 7. Public policy -- Government and what it does -- Distribution -- Extraction -- Regulation -- Community-building and symbolic policies -- Outcomes : domestic welfare -- Outcomes : domestic security -- International outputs and outcomes -- Political goods and values -- Trade-offs and opportunity costs -- Review questions -- Key terms -- Suggested readings -- Index.