Provides access to articles selected from the best of the public press. This book features: an annotated listing of selected World Wide Web sites; an annotated table of contents; a topic guide; a general introduction; brief overviews for each section; a topical index; and, an instructor's resource guide with testing materials.

This twenty-third edition of "Annual Editions: Comparative Politics" provides convenient, inexpensive access to current articles selected from the best of the public press. Organizational features include: an annotated listing of selected World Wide Web sites; an annotated table of contents; a topic guide; a general introduction; brief overviews for each section; a topical index; and, an instructor's resource guide with testing materials. Using annual editions in the classroom is offered as a practical guide for instructors.

UNIT 1. Pluralist Democracies: Country StudiesPart A. The United Kingdom 1. A Constitutional Revolution in Britain?, Donley T. Studlar, McGraw-Hill/Dushkin, 2003"New" Labour came to power in 1997 with a commitment to sweeping constitutional reform in Britain. In this article, an American political scientist examines the Blair government's record of promoting a series of institutional changes and considers the political consequences until the end of 2004. He includes recent developments with respect to the House of Lords, regional and local devolution of power, electoral laws, the monarchy, and the European Union. 2. Judgment Day, Emma Duncan, The World in 2005, Emma Duncan expects a 2005 general election in Britain, marked by voter apathy and a third consecutive Labour victory with a much-reduced majority and a discredited leader. There will be opposition from a motley array of disaffected voters, including some traditional Labour supporters. Blair's trump cards will be the well performing economy, the improved condition of the public service sector, along with tough immigration and law-and-order policies. Duncan expects change after the election, as the hapless Tories embark on yet another search for a new leader. 3. Does New Labour Deserve a Third Term?, Anthony Giddens and David Marquand, Prospect, March 2004Two prominent British academics review New Labour's performance as a government party. Giddens has been a leading "third way" theorist and adviser to Tony Blair. He supports Labour as a way to move Britain's market society in a social democratic direction. Marquand is more critical of Labour's policies and its governing style. He prefers a hung parliament that would bring a coalition government with its political checks and balances.Part B. France4. A Divided Self: A Survey of France, John Andrews, The Economist, November 16, 2002The sweeping victory of the Conservatives in the presidential and parliamentary elections of 2002 seems to have made the right-of-center bloc, led by President Chirac, dominant in French politics for the next few years. There is no guarantee that there will be effective reforms to deal with the series of social and political problems discussed in this article, ranging from the failure to integrate the many immigrants to the social and economic problems confronting its welfare state.5. French Secularism Unwraps Far More than Headscarves in the Classroom, Robert Graham, Financial Times, November 20, 2003Citing the French tradition of secularity and ignoring strong criticism from the leaders of several million Muslims in France, President Chirac has called for legislation to bar the Islamic headscarf and other conspicuous religious signs from state schools. It seems doubtful that the 10-year old controversy will be put to rest so easily, for there is much more to this issue as this article shows. 6. The Nicolas v Jacques Show, The Economist, September 11, 2004Nicolas Sarkozy--the son of a Hungarian-born exile--is a relatively young, ambitious, and energetic upstart in Frency politics who, as finance minister, quarreled with President Chirac. He has now left the ministry to take over the leadership of the president's party (the UMP), in preparation for a bid at the presidency in 2007.Part C. Germany7. Gerhard Schroder Clings On, The Economist, September 28, 2002This article explains how the red-green government managed to be narrowly re-elected, examines the new parliamentary balance of power, and points to a series of structural problems that demand bold political leadership. Are Chancellor Schroder and his team ready for the task ahead? 8. Schroder Looks at the Stars Again, Bertrand Benoit, Financial Times, December 8, 2004Chancellor Schroder is the come-back kid in German politics. When his poll standings plummeted, he gave up the SPD party leadership to concentrate on governing. His Agenda 2010 is designed to shake up Germany's stagnating "social market economy." It is widely unpopular, but he has earned some respect by refusing to dilute its crucial labor market and social security provisions. His commitment to reform will be tested in 2005 by introducing significant cuts in benefits for the long-term unemployed. 9. The German Question, Richard Bernstein, The New York Times Magazine, May 2, 2004Germany is the geographic, economic, and strategic heart of Europe writes this U.S. observer. During the Cold War, West Germany adopted a deferential foreign policy toward Washington as leader of the Atlantic alliance. United Germay is likely going to be less compliant, more assertive, and more Europe-centered as its open disagreement with the United States over policy toward Iraq has shown.Part D. Japan10. Japanese Spirit, Western Things, The Economist, July 10, 2003150 years after Commodore Perry's order to open the country to trade, Japan has emerged as one of the world's great economic success stories. This survey examines the origins of that success and emphasizes that Japan has shown that modernization does not require embracing Western culture.UNIT 2. Pluralist Democracies: Factors in the Political ProcessPart A. Patterns of Democratic Atrophy? Comparative Perspectives11. Public Opinion: Is There a Crisis?, The Economist, July 17, 1999Advanced democracies differ considerably from each other, but in recent years they have shared a common pattern of public disillusionment with institutions and politicians. The first in a series of three briefs dealing with this development examines the general decline in public trust and voter turnout in well-established democracies.12. Political Parties: Empty Vessels?, The Economist, July 24, 1999This brief from The Economist series examines the partial weakening of political parties in modern democracies.13. Interest Groups: Ex Uno, Plures, The Economist, August 21, 1999This brief in The Economist series reports on the growth of special-interest lobbying in modern democracies.Part B. Women in Politics 14. Women in National Parliaments, Inter-Parliamentary Union, February 28, 2005This table has been compiled by the Inter-Parliamentary Union. It classifies 181 countries in descending order by the percentage of women in the lower or single legislative chamber. At the top of the list, again, is Rwanda along with the five Scandinavian countries and the Netherlands. Germany places well, and a growing number of other countries have attained what is sometimes called the "critical mass" of 30 percent. After the 2004 elections, the United State continues to lag behind.15. Europe Crawls Ahead ..., Megan Rowling, In These Times, July 22, 2002Women have moved to high elective office earlier and at higher rates in some countries than in others. This article examines what factors have made a difference. France's new parity law was widely flouted in 2002, but in the German elections of the same year, self-imposed quotas by several parties played a key role.Part C. The Institutional Framework16. What Democracy Is ... and Is Not, Philippe C. Schmitter and Terry Lynn Karl, Journal of Democracy, Summer 1991The two authors point out that modern representative democracies vary in their institutions, practices, and values--depending on their socioeconomic, historical, and cultural settings.17. Judicial Review: The Gavel and the Robe, The Economist, August 7, 1999Democracies have handed increasing amounts of power to unelected judges. This article examines the growth and many different forms of judicial review.18. Referendums: The People's Voice, The Economist, August 14, 1999The referendum, a form of direct democracy, takes many forms. This article examines the different kinds of referenda, looks at the experience so far, and reexamines the arguments about letting voters decide policy questions directly.Part D. American Politics in a Comparative Perspective 19. The Great Divide, Timothy Garton Ash, Prospect, March 2003Influenced by their own weakness and the trauma of contemporary wars, Europeans have come to pursue international peace, negotiation, and cooperation at almost any price, whereas Americans have retained a greater willingness to use force. Kagan sums up the contrast in a memorable overstatement, "on major strategic and international questions today, Americans are from Mars and Europeans are from Venus." Ash explains why he finds Kagan's analysis to be only half right. 20. Living With a Superpower, The Economist, January 2, 2003Three recent studies compare "basic" values in a number of countries. They all turned up important similarities between Americans and respondents from other countries, especially in Western Europe. The third study by the University of Michigan shows that while Americans resemble Europeans in their "self-expressive" values, U.S. respondents are more likely to adhere to traditional beliefs while their European counterparts (except the Irish) are more secular in their views.21. The Case for a Multi-Party U.S. Parliament? American Politics in Comparative Perspective, Christopher S. Allen, McGraw-Hill/Dushkin, 2004The author supports the inclusion of American political institutions in the study of comparative politics. He presents a brief on behalf of a multi-party parliamentary system for the United States that can be read as a mental experiment in institutional transplantation. It underscores the basic insight that institutions are not neutral but have consequences for the political process itself.UNIT 3. Europe in Transition: West, Center, and EastPart A. The European Union 22. A Difficult Birth, The Economist, June 26, 2004In June 2004, only six months after the initial collapse of their attempt to frame a new EU constitution, European leaders succeeded in resolving their differences. The agreement was made possible by a series of diplomatic maneuvers The Economist calls "arm-twisting, obfuscation, and opt-outs." A major stumbling block was removed when Spain and Poland accepted a new "double majority" system of voting as explained here. 23. What the EU Constitution Says, BBC News, June 22, 2004The constitution was agreed upon in Brussels on June 18, 2004, but still faces a crucial ratification in each of the 25 member nations. As this selective summary and explanation by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) shows, it reaffirms the principle of subsidiarity, defines the powers of the EU institutions, and explains the principle of voting by a qualified majority. 24. The Voters Take Their Revenge, The Economist, June 19, 2004The 2004 elections to the European Parliament resulted in an all-time low voter turnout that varied considerably from country-to-country but averaged 45 percent. For many of those who participated, the event served as an opportunity to cast a protest vote against their national governments. This short article summarizes and analyzes the outcome. 25. Europe's Quiet Leap Forward, Kenneth Rogoff, Foreign Policy, July-August 2004The author urges us to pay less attention to Europe's economic ills--such as its rigid labor markets, its aging population, or its weak state-run university systems. Europeans have chosen to work less than Americans, they constitute a well-educated and versatile work force, and their institutional infrastructure is superior to that found in most of the world. All in all, Europe stands a fair chance of staying abreast or even moving ahead of the United States.Part B. Russia 26. Putin Gambles on Raw Power, Steven Lee Myers, The New York Times, September 19, 2004After modern Russia's worst terrorist act--the seizure of the school that ended with more than 300 dead hostages--President Putin ordered an overhaul of the political system that would strip Russians of their right to elect their governors and district representatives in Parliament. The authoritarian response seemed like a non sequitur, but it reflects a long-standing distrust of democracy and preference for the iron fist in times of emergency. 27. What Does Putin Want?, Peter Lavelle, Current History, October 2004The author believes that Vladimir Putin follows a long-term reform agenda that includes authoritarian forms of "managed democracy" and "managed capitalism." Despite its remarkable economic recovery, fueled by the high prices for oil exports, Russia faces some serious structural problems. In his efforts to increase the state's ability to govern effectively, Putin is seeking to break the power and drain the wealth of the super rich "oligarchs." UNIT 4. Political Diversity in the Developing WorldPart A. Latin America28. Mexico at an Impasse, M. Delal Baer, Foreign Affairs, January/February 2004Three years after Mexico's democratic revolution, the political system is gridlocked, the economy is stagnant, and relations with the United States are deteriorating. A crisis is not imminent, but progress must come soon if Mexico's grand experiment with political and economic liberty is to continue.Part B. Africa 29. The New South Africa, A Decade Later, Antoinette Handley, Current History, May 2004South Africa held its first universal elections in 1994. Before that year, few had expected that white South Africans would voluntarily hand over political power to the African National Congress or that the ANC leaders would turn out to pursue a remarkably moderate economic policy. This article reviews South Africa's impressive political achievements in its first decade as a multiracial democracy along with the great challenges facing the country. 30. Nigeria's Democratic Generals, Robert B. Lloyd, Current History, May 2004Nigeria is the most populous and most diverse country in Africa. It is potentially also one of the richest. This article surveys the country's ruptured political history since independence in 1960. The Fourth Republic has managed to hold the country's first back-to-back civilian-led elections. In addition to its legacy of internal ethnic strife, the country is challenged by great economic disparity, Islamic activism, and large-scale corruption.Part C. China 31. Hu Takes Full Power in China as He Gains Control of Military, Joseph Kahn, The New York Times, September 20, 2004China's president since 2003, Hu Jintao, heads the country's ruling party since 2002. In September 2004, he solidified control by replacing Jing Zemin as military chief. This article examines the transition and political implications of the extraordinary concentration of power in the hands of Mr. Hu Jintao.32. China: The Quiet Revolution, Doug Guthrie, Harvard International Review, Summer 2003The reformers who led China toward a market economy avoided "shock therapy." Instead, they moved gradually in implementing changes that in the end turned out to be a major institutional transformation. This article explores their strategy and the reasons for the success of their "quiet revolution."33. In March Toward Capitalism, China Has Avoided Russia's Path, Henry Chu, Los Angeles Times, September 16, 1998This article explains how China has managed so far to avoid economic and political collapse as it moves from a centrally planned to a more market-centered economy.Part D. India 34. Sonia: And Yet So Far, The Economist, May 22, 2004This article explains the dramatic outcome and the broader political context of India's milestone 2004 parliamentary election. To general surprise, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was defeated, and a minority coalition headed by the reinvigorated Congress party took office. When Congress party leader Sonia Gandhi, the Italian-born widow of a former prime minister, decided not to head the new government, the post went to Manmohan Singh. 35. India's Democracy Provides Lessons, Rajan Menon, Orlando Sentinel, August 8, 2004Despite its numerous problems, India is a model for political survival as a multiethnic democracy. Its political institutions provide safety valves for expressing grievances and finding decentralized responses. The paradox is that India's enormous diversity and its cumbersome political system have enabled unity and democracy to combine. There are indications that a moderate prosperity may follow as India continues the incremental deregulation of its economy, begun in 1991.Part E. The Muslim World 36. Middle East Democracy, Marina Ottaway and Thomas Carothers, Foreign Policy, November-December 2004It is a mistake to regard the Middle East as the last holdout against a global democratic trend. There are many non-democracies in other parts of East and Southeast Asia. Nor is the Middle East necessarily immune to the promises of the "third wave of democratization." But the democratic breakthrough must be home grown.37. Bin Laden, the Arab "Street," and the Middle East's Democracy Deficit, Dale F. Eickelman, Current History, January 2002Osama bin Laden speaks in the vivid language of popular Islamic preachers and he builds on a deep and broad resentment against the West. He benefits from the lack of democratic outlets in much of the Middle East that leaves no established platforms to express opinions on matters of public concern.UNIT 5. Comparative Politics: Some Major Trends, Issues, and ProspectsPart A. The Democratic Trend: How Strong, Thorough, and Lasting? 38. Democracy's Sobering State, Thomas Carothers, Current History, December 2004The "third wave" of democratization, first identified and labeled by Samuel Huntington, has come to a standstill. It referred to the numerous democratic openings that began in southern Europe in the mid-1970s and then spread to much of the rest of the world. This article examines the cluster of factors that are blunting the further advance and consolidation of a democratic government. Individually and together, they present a major challenge that cannot be removed by empty rhetoric.Part B. The Ambivalence About Markets: What Role for the State?39. Capitalism and Democracy, Gabriel A. Almond, PS: Political Science and Politics, September 1991Towards the end of the Gorbachev era, Gabriel Almond presented to a Soviet audience, some key ideas about the ambiguous relationship between capitalism and democracy. Drawing in part on the work of other theorists, this leading political scientist explored ways in which capitalism both supports and subverts democracy--as well as ways in which democracy may both subvert and foster capitalism. 40. We Need More Globalisation--But We Will Only Get It If We Have Better States, Martin Wolf, The Financial Times, May 10, 2004This article is an excerpt from the concluding chapter of a major book that has been called "the definitive statement of the case for market-based globalization." Wolf sees political fragmentation as a huge obstacle to reducing worldwide poverty and inequality. He argues that the nation states remain the locus of political debate and legitimacy--and that they are the best way to combine economic globalization with political stability and legitimacy. 41. Global Left Turn, David Held, Prospect, January 2005David Held finds Martin Wolf's defense of globalization, presented in the previous article, "remarkable but flawed." In Held's view, Wolf is too one-sidedly economic in his approach and pays insufficient attention to the political, social, cultural and environmental aspects of globalization. Held argues globalization needs to move from a neo-liberal to a social democratic agenda that makes social justice a priority alongside liberty. 42. The Imperative of State-Building, Francis Fukuyama, Journal of Democracy, April 2004There is a new conventional wisdom that "institutions matter"--indeed that they could be the critical variables in a country's development. The author introduces a framework that makes it possible to identify well-functioning state institutions in terms of their scope of activity and their capacity to enforce decisions. He points out that while state-building is important, it can also be a difficult undertaking. The problem is less a cognitive than a political one, he warns.43. Cultural Explanations: The Man in the Baghdad Cafe, The Economist, November 9, 1996This essay critically reviews recent scholarly attempts to explain economics and politics in terms of cultural differences. 44. An Explosive Combination, Amy Chua, Orlando Sentinel, September 21, 2003Free-market economics and overnight democracy can become a volatile mixture when members of a market-dominant ethnic minority become seen as outside exploiters. Amy Chua explains and illustrates how this combination has fueled ethnic conflict in some developing countries and how it could recur in postwar Iraq.45. Jihad vs. McWorld, Benjamin R. Barber, The Atlantic Monthly, March 1992Benjamin Barber examines two major tendencies that are shaping much of the political world today. One is a form of tribalism, which pits cultural, ethnic religious, and national groups against each other. It clashes with a tendency toward globalism brought about by modern technology, communications, and commerce. Both tendencies can threaten democracy.