Comparative Government and Politics

Abstract

It is telling that the section on Political Science in The Cambridge Handbook of Social Sciences in Australia (McAllister et al. 2003) not only has no chapter on comparative politics, but not even an index entry for it. In some ways, this is not surprising. Thus Judith Brett’s analysis of the ‘founding figures’ of Australian political science in Chapter 3 includes few scholars who, by most international standards, would be considered comparative politics specialists. And a cursory glance at the Program Publications section of the bibliography of works produced in the first 50 years of the Political Science Program in the ANU’s Research School of the Social Sciences (McCarthy 2001) reveals that the overwhelming majority of publications have been on Australian politics; the only other areas to receive more than a couple of listings are Papua New Guinean and Soviet politics.

Thanks to John Ravenhill, Pat Weller, and the participants at the ANU workshop on this project for valuable suggestions on earlier drafts of this chapter.