LibGuides: Contemporary Comparative Politics: Home

Contemporary Comparative Politics
Background Research

To better navigate your subject in the Comparative Politics, it helps to get plenty of background. What are the current politics surrounding your subject? What is the history? What political theories and beliefs accompany your research?

Below are some resources to help get started with your background research on your chosen subject.

Oxford Reference This link opens in a new window
Oxford Reference has dozens of reference books. If you type in a country name, the resulting essays and articles will be from reference books with different focuses. Use it for The Oxford Companion to Comparative Politics which will surprise you with its breadth of entries. Let the Comparative Politics Party begin!
Global Issues in Context This link opens in a new window
Also listed in the Databases, Global Issues In Context has really good introductory essays on your subject. Search the country or region and look at some of the curated results which include all formats including scholarly journals.

New York Times dotcom
Search The New York Times website and, if it's a major subject, the site sends you to a landing page with all the relevant stories on that subject. It's a great way to see latest developments in the news.
Council on Foreign Relations / CFR.org
A nonpartisan think tank with robust content. Like the New York Times, this site delivers landing pages. Type in a country and it delivers timely articles with very good links. Click the links.
The Brookings Institute
A CFR-adjacent nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, DC. Their mission is to conduct in-depth research that leads to new ideas for solving problems facing society at the local, national and global level.
UN Data
UNData is a web-based data service for the global user community. It brings international statistical databases within easy reach of users through a single-entry point

Contemporary Comparative Politics

Contemporary Comparative Politics Background Research

Contemporary Comparative Politics
Background Research