ABSTRACT
This chapter explains variations in policy outcomes among European democracies and also in comparison with the USA. It presents a definition of policy outcomes and then provides comparative data on a wide range of such outcomes across many European countries as well as the USA. Students are encouraged to theorize and make causal connections in order to explain the order of countries of given policy outcomes. The chapter provides a comparison of various European democracies with the USA across a range of outcomes, and focuses on politics matters. Making comparisons across countries requires an understanding of "systemic effects". There are many instances in which a particular policy output fails to achieve the expected policy outcome. The degree of poverty among a country's residents is a highly relevant policy outcome. Poverty is measured as a percentage of people who earn less than 50 percent of the median income.
