ABSTRACT
This book has consistently argued that the systematic comparison of countries is an effective method for making inferences about the political world we observe. The basic methods of comparative politics (many-, few-, and single-country studies) and its basic unit of analysis (the independent nation state) will not change for the foreseeable future, despite some of the more extreme pronouncements about the disappearance of the state in the new era of globalization. Comparative politics as a field and a method fits squarely in the ‘evidence-inference methodological core’ of political science (see Chapter 1 of present volume; cf. Almond 1996:52), and the application of comparative methods to real-world problems will continue to play a valuable role in the incremental accumulation of knowledge in this field. Indeed, for many, comparative politics is seen as the central concern of political science, as well as a central feature in helping us to understand current affairs in the world (see Peters 1998:212; Pennings et al. 1999:2-3). This chapter addresses these claims and examines the way in which the field has evolved and is likely to evolve, the continuing challenges the field faces, and the ways in which it can adapt to our rapidly changing and increasingly global political environment.
