Long established as the leading text in the field, the 7th edition has been comprehensively updated, revised and rewritten throughout. A new chapter has been added on Political Economy and the classification system used to compare states has been recast to distinguish liberal and illiberal democracies as well as contrasting these with authoritarian regimes. Lively, accessible, student-friendly and truly international in its coverage, the 7th edition includes a substantially enhanced range of case studies, debate boxes, charts and tables.