What is Comparative Politics? Why do some countries democratize while others remain undemocratic? How do political actors, institutions and processes that structure politics change across social and cultural settings? What are the effects of different electoral systems on political representation and inclusion? What theories and approaches can help us make sense of the variation in the way political governments are organized around the world?
Comparison is one of the main approaches in political science. This course introduces key concepts, theories, and empirical methodologies in comparative politics. Major themes include patterns and differences between political regimes, the causes of democratization, democratic practices, governments and parliaments, levels of government, public policies, political cultures, minority groups, political participation, and behavior. The course will compare cases from Africa, Asia, Europe, Middle East and Latin America to equip students with the knowledge and skills in when to compare, how to compare, what to compare, and how to use comparison for explaining and understanding political processes, causes, and effects.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the main concepts, theories and approaches in comparative politics;
- apply theories and methodological approaches to the cross-national study of political regimes, institutions and actors;
- evaluate patterns and differences across contexts;
- critically analyse mechanisms, principles, generalisations, and outliers; and
- develop an original research project that examines empirically a contemporary political phenomenon using a comparative method.
Indicative Assessment
- Quizzes (4 quizzes 5% each) (20) [LO 1,2,3,4]
- Empirical analysis (max 1500 words) (30) [LO 1,2,3,4]
- Participation (10) [LO 1,2,3,4]
- Final paper (max 2000 words) (40) [LO 1,2,3,4,5]
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
130 hours of total student learning time made up from:
a) 36 hours of contact over 12 weeks: 24 hours of lectures and 12 hours of tutorials, and
b) 94 hours of independent student research, reading and writing
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
- Boix, C., & Stokes, S. C. (Eds.). (2007). The Oxford handbook of comparative politics. Oxford University Press
- Putnam, R. D. (1994). Making democracy work: Civic traditions in modern Italy. Princeton University Press.
- Norris, P (2011). Democratic deficit: Critical citizens revisited. Cambridge University Press
- Croissant, A. and Tomini, eds. (2024). The Routledge Handbook of Autocratization. Taylor & Francis.
- Acemoglu, D., & Robinson, J. A. (2012). Why nations fail?: the origins of power, prosperity, and poverty.
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 14
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2025 | $4680 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2025 | $6360 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
Second Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8607 | 27 Jul 2026 | 03 Aug 2026 | 31 Aug 2026 | 30 Oct 2026 | In Person | N/A |