Comparative Politics is the Department of Political Studies largest sub-field. Eight of the Department’s twenty-three full-time faculty list Comparative Politics as one of their research fields.

Comparativists usually combine two foci. First, they are generally interested in a range of themes, concepts or issues. Second, they research these matters within a particular country or set of countries, or regions of the world, although some comparativists with thematic interests research these wherever they are salient and not just in particular places. At Queen’s the broad questions we are concerned with relate to some of the most important themes of our day. They include nationalism, ethnicity and multiculturalism; class and political economy; identity and culture, regime transitions and democratization; and political institutions including the institutions of federalism, power-sharing (consociationalism), political parties, and elections. Some of us are interested in the nexus between Comparative Politics and International Relations, in such things as international political economy, globalization, or the effect of evolving international norms on minority rights and human rights. Our area specialists work on a wide range of different regions, including North America, Latin America, Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East.

Comparativists at Queen’s are conducting research in the following areas: ethnic conflict; minority nationalism; federalism; power-sharing (consociationalism); diasporas; state-society relations, including relations between the security sector (police and army) and society; democratization in Latin America; democratization in eastern Europe; language politics; the welfare state, including the politics of employment equity; industrial relations; the politics of aging; the politics of prisons; political corruption; as well as the politics of the European Union, Italy, Israel, Iraq, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Peru, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States.

Comparative Politics at Queen’s is a thriving field. Its members hold a significant number of academic grants from various sources. We combine freshly-minted Ph.D.s with senior established scholars. We have a growing reputation both nationally and internationally.

If you seek to be intellectually challenged, we encourage you to consider graduate studies in Comparative Politics at Queen’s.