COMPARATIVE POLITICS IN TRANSITION combines a thematic framework with a country by country approach to provide a truly thoughtful and effective introduction to Comparative Politics, one that assumes very little prior knowledge on the part of students. The author uses an "arenas" classification to organize and frame the systematic comparative analysis, rather than the traditional "three worlds" framework. The "arenas" classification reflects the contemporary political, economic, and social realities of different political systems, allowing the author to provide an historical, theoretical, and conceptual background through nine country case studies.