Theories of comparative political economy : new paradigms

Addressing the problem of searching for mainstream and alternative paradigms as a guide for comparative political enquiry, this work in particular introduces developments that have taken place since the 1990s. * List of Tables and Figures * Preface * 1. Political Economy and the Comparative Understanding of History * Origins and Evolution of Political Economy * Sorting Theories * The Comparative Approach * Case Studies Through History * Historical Studies * 2. Theories of Transition * Precapitalism and Capitalism * The Transition from Feudalism to Capitalism * The Transition from Capitalism to Socialism * 3. Theories of Class * Origins * Class and the Paradox of Pluralism and Individual Choice * Class and Structuralism * Class Analysis * Examples of Class Analysis * 4. Theories of the State * Two Conceptions of the State * Toward a Theory of the State * Current Thinking on the State * Issues of State Theory * 5. Theories of Imperialism * Traditional and Classical Imperialism * Contemporary Analyses of Imperialism * Responses to Imperialism: Understanding Development and Underdevelopment * Innovative Theories of Capitalist and Socialist Development * Strategies and Issues of Capitalist and Socialist Development * Whither Imperialism and Development Theory? * 6. Theories of Democracy * Democracy and Capitalism * Democracy and Socialism * Alternative Directions: Toward Participatory Democracy * Other References Consulted * Index Theories of Comparative Political Economy builds on the proposition that the study of politics and economics has evolved into political economy in a number of significant ways, and that the new issues and ideas that became prominent in the 1980s and 1990s will carry on into the new millennium. The book is organized around six chapters. In the first chapter Chilcote examines significant comparative historical themes, various schools of thinking, divergent theories, and relevant monographic literature and sensitive case studies in comparative political economy. In subsequent chapters Chilcote explores the question of transitions from feudalism to capitalism and capitalism to socialism, theories of class, theories of the state, theories of imperialism, and capitalist and socialist development. In the final chapter Chilcote discusses democracy from the perspective of political economy, describing its representative, indirect, and bourgeois participatory forms. This book is a sequel to Chilcote's Theories of Comparative Politics (1981), which was substantially revised and published in a second edition in 1994. 'Professor Chilcote has written an extraordinary comprehensive comparison of mainstream, liberal views and alternative, radical views of history, development, class, government, and democracy. This book will be extremely valuable to both students and scholars.'—Howard Sherman, University of California, Riverside Theories of Comparative Political Economy builds on die proposition that the study of politics and economics has evolved into political economy in a number of significant ways, and that the new issues and ideas that became prominent in the 1980s and 1990s will cany on into the new millennium. This book is a sequel to Chilcote's Theories of Comparative Politics (Westview, 1981), which was substantially revised and published in a second edition in 1994. "Addressing the problem of searching for mainstream and alternative paradigms as a guide for comparative political enquiry, this work in particular introduces developments that have taken place over the last decade. These include the continuation of an ideological political science, methodological innovations such as rational choice and historical and post-behavioural approaches, new emphases on and links between political culture and participation, the recasting of modernization theory and the revitalization of class analysis, and a post-Keynesian political-economy point of view."--Provided by publisher "Theories of Comparative Political Economy builds on the proposition that the study of politics and economics has evolved into political economy in a number of significant ways, and that the new issues and ideas that became prominent in the 1980s and 1990s will carry on into the new millennium."--Jacket The present generation of political scientists wrestles with the question of what is political and what is political science.