Introduction to comparative politics -- Section 1 : Theories and methods -- The relevance of comparative politics -- Approaches in comparative politics -- Comparative research methods -- Section 2 : The historical context -- The nation-state -- Democracies -- Authoritarian regimes -- Section 3 : Structures and institutions -- Legislatures -- Governments and bureacracies -- Constitutions, rights, and judicial power -- Elections and referendums -- Federal and local government institutions -- Section 4 : Actors and processes -- Political parties -- Party systems -- Interest groups -- Regions -- Social movements -- Political culture -- Political participation -- Political communication -- Section 5 : Public policies -- Policy making -- The welfare state -- The impact of public policies -- Section 6 : Beyond the nation-state -- The EU as a new political system -- Globalization and the nation-state -- From supporting democracy to supporting autocracy

1. Comparative government