William Roberts Clark is head of the Department of Political Science at Texas A&M University and a fellow at the Institute for the Study of Religion at Baylor University. He is the author of Capitalism, Not Globalism, and his articles have appeared in American Political Science Review, Comparative Political Studies, Political Analysis, and European Union Politics, among other journals. He has been teaching at a wide variety of public and private schools (William Paterson College, Rutgers University, Georgia Tech, Princeton, New York University, and the University of Michigan) for more than three decades.

1. Introduction
Political Ideology
Overview of the Book
2. What Is Science?
What Is Science?
The Scientific Method
An Introduction to Logic
Myths about Science
Conclusion
3. What Is Politics?
The Exit, Voice, and Loyalty Game
Solving the Exit, Voice, and Loyalty Game
Evaluating the Exit, Voice, and Loyalty Game
Conclusion
Preparation for the Problems
4. The Origins of the Modern State
What Is the State?
The Social Contract View of the State
The Predatory View of the State
Conclusion
Preparation for the Problems
5. Democracy and Dictatorship: Conceptualization and Measurement
Early Democracy versus Modern Democracy
Classifying Democracies and Dictatorships
Conclusion
6. The Economic Determinants of Democracy and Dictatorship
A Brief Overview of Modernization Theory
Income and Democracy
Modernization Theory and Democracy
The Conditionality of Modernization Theory
Inequality and Democracy
Conclusion
7. The Cultural Determinants of Democracy and Dictatorship
Classical Cultural Arguments: Mill and Montesquieu
Does Democracy Require a Civic Culture?
Are Some Religions Incompatible with Democracy?
Theorizing about Culture
Conclusion
8. Democratic Transitions
Bottom-Up Transitions to Democracy
Top-Down Transitions to Democracy
Conclusion
Preparation for Problems Dealing with Incomplete Information Games
9. Varieties of Dictatorship
A Common Typology of Authoritarian Regimes
The Two Fundamental Problems of Authoritarian Rule
Selectorate Theory
Conclusion
10. Problems with Group Decision Making
Problems with Group Decision Making
Arrow's Theorem
Conclusion
11. Parliamentary, Presidential, and Semi-Presidential Democracies
Classifying Democracies
Governments in Parliamentary Democracies
Governments in Presidential Democracies
Governments in Semi-Presidential Democracies
A Unifying Framework: Principal-Agent and Delegation Problems
Conclusion
12. Elections and Electoral Systems
Elections and Electoral Integrity
Electoral Systems
Legislative Electoral System Choice
Conclusion
13. Parties, Party Systems, and Party Competition
Political Parties: What Are They, and What Do They Do?
Party Systems
Types of Political Parties
The Number of Political Parties
Party Competition
Conclusion
14. Institutional Veto Players
Federalism
Bicameralism
Constitutionalism
Veto Players
Conclusion
15. Consequences of Democratic Institutions
Majoritarian or Consensus Democracy?
The Effect of Political Institutions on Fiscal Policy
Electoral Laws, Federalism, and Ethnic Conflict
Presidentialism and Democratic Survival
Conclusion