Omparative Politics is the study of the forms of political organisations, their properties, correlations, variations and modes of change.

Comparative Politics involves a comparative study of not only the institutional and mechanistic arrangements of government but also an empirical and scientific analysis of non- institutional and non-political determinants of political behaviour such as the pattern of culture or the socio-economic environment within which the political systems operate. Empirical study of political processes, structures and functions forms the core of Comparative Politics studies. Its aim is to build a scientific theory of politics capable of explaining all phenomena of politics.

Evolution of Comparative Politics:

Since times very ancient, Comparative Politics has been a very popular and useful subject of study within the broad ambit of Political Science.

Aristotle observed the working of 158 constitutions and used the knowledge for answering such questions as:

Which is an ideal state? Which can be the best practicable state?

Which is the best constitution?

Aristotle’s path was followed by his admirers, and the tradition still continues.

It can be stated with certainty that right from the days of Aristotle, comparative study of political institutions, governments and processes has been developing as a major and popular area of investigation with a large number of political scientists. After Aristotle, several political thinkers—Cicero, Polybius, Machiavelli, Montesquieu, J.S. Mill, Bagehot and others, used the comparative method in a highly productive way.

In the 20th century, the ancient tradition received a systematic use and development at the hands of a large number of political scientists, particularly, Ogg, Zink, Munro, C.F. Strong, Herman Finer, Almond, Powell, Blondel, A.R. Ball, Colelman, David Apter, S E Finer and others.

In the Western world, Comparative Politics came to be regarded as an autonomous discipline.