Comparative politics compares the ways people and institutions interact, in different countries and regions of the world (including both developing and developed), to produce what we call "politics." This course focuses on political institutions. Topics include: the formation, development and eventual decay of political institutions such as the nation-state, political regimes, parties, party systems and local governments; the power of the state; the emergence and dynamics of democratic and authoritarian institutions; the emergence and dynamics of capitalist institutions.