ABSTRACT
The systematic analysis of political ideology is contingent on the resolution of at least two important sets of problems: an agreement on the meaning of ideology and the development of a framework for the comparative treatment of ideologies. The first task has consumed vast quantities of scholarly energy in recent years, though the issue is by no means settled. The second task—though of great potential value for the resolution of certain outstanding conceptual difficulties—has received only scant attention. "Decline of ideology" is a theme in comparative political analysis that can be applied across nations, across time, or both. The decline hypothesis stipulates certain conditions under which it would be fully operative. These conditions have largely materialized in Western industrial societies, are in the process of materialization in selected non-Western countries, and are largely absent in most of the developing areas of the world.
