Why do citizens in a few societies live in peace, earn decent wages, and elect their leaders by democratic means, while many citizens around the globe are poor, live in societies marked by violence and civil war, and do not have a fair chance to choose their representatives? This course analyzes how political order is created and how it breaks down. We explore why some societies establish democratic political orders but others dictatorial rule and how democracies and dictatorships work. We also analyze the impact that political regimes and institutions have on economic growth, development, poverty, and inequality. Finally, we concentrate on insurgencies, civil wars, and revolutions. In this final section, our goal is to understand how political regimes and economic development shape the dynamics of collective violence. Examples are drawn from contemporary world history and current world affairs, including advanced capitalist democracies and low- and middle-income countries. This course is an introduction to the main questions, puzzles, theories, and findings in comparative politics and therefore will provide you with a roadmap and a theoretical toolkit for the study of politics around the world.
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