This course aims to unpack the institutional and behavioral variation within political systems. The goal is to expose students to the key questions and theories in comparative politics around three themes: a) the origins and effects of political institutions (federalism, electoral rules, bicameralism, courts…); b) party and electoral behavior across democracies and authoritarian regimes; and c) explaining quality of governance (issues of representation, accountability, trust, corruption). We will draw on cutting edge research and touch on current events and a variety of cases.