- A nation is a group of people sharing a common identity, particularly of language, culture, race, and/or religion.
- A state is when a government exercises power over people permanently living in a clearly-defined territory.
- A nation-state is when a state governs over a single nation of people (e.g. France). By contrast, some states govern over multiple nations (e.g. Spain).

Nations, States, and Nation-states

- Sovereignty is the exercise of power over a given territory.
- Authority is the ability to exercise power, meaning that sovereign authority is the ability to exercise power over a given territory.
- Legitimacy is the normative recognition that someone should have authority over a given territory.

States may have a combination of sovereignty, legitimacy, and authority. A state may be a legitimate and sovereign authority if most actors within and outside the state recognize its ability and deservingness to rule over its territory. A government in exile may be recognized as the legitimate ruler of a territory, though they may not exercise any real power over their former country and therefore lack sovereign authority.


Sovereignty, Authority, and Legitimacy

A regime is the political system of a country, specifically the basic institutions that determine the rules by which a government functions. Comparative political scientists typically distinguish between democracies and autocracies (or authoritarian regimes), though they allow for considerations of hybrid regimes as well. 

Regimes and Regime Types

The following concepts are essential for understanding other concepts in comparative politics:
- The distinction between nations, states, and nation-states
- The difference between sovereignty, authority, and legitimacy
- The definition of a regime and the definition of different regime types

Wesleyan University

The study and comparison of political systems around the world, particularly of countries other than one’s own.

Comparative Politics

Wikibooks contributors. (2021, June 2). Comparative Politics. Wikibooks. https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Comparative_Politics

Wikibooks - Comparative Politics

Foundational Concepts of Comparative Politics

Topics that scholars of comparative politics study include:
- How different governments respond to emergencies (such as Covid-19)
- Processes of democratic erosion
- How dictators rise to power, keep power, and lose power
- Democratization movements in different countries
- Party systems
- Electoral systems

And much, much more.

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