Introdution: Strategies in Comparative Research (Mattei Dogan, French National Centre of Scientific Research, Paris, and Ali Kazancigil, Division for the International Development of Social Sciences, UNESCO, Paris). 1. Compare Why and How: Comparing, Miscomparing and the Comparative Method: Giovanni Sartori, Columbia University, New York. 2. Use and Misuse of Statistics in Comparative Research: Limits to Quantification in Comparative Politics: The Gap between Substance and Method: Mattei Dogan, French National Centre of Scientific Research, Paris. 3. Conceptual Homogenization of a Heterogeneous Field: Presidentialism in Comparative Perspective: Fred W. Riggs, University of Hawaii. 4. Binary Comparisons: American Exceptionalism -- Japanese Uniqueness: Seymour Martin Lipset, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia. 5. The Deviant Case in Comparative Analysis: High Stateness in a Muslim Society: The Case of Turkey: Ali Kazancigil, Division for the International Development of Social and Human Sciences, UNESCO, Paris. 6. Comparing Similiar Countries: Problems of Conceptualization and Comparability in Latin America: John D. Martz, Pennsylvania State University. 7. Asynchronic Comparisons: Weak States in Post--Colonial Africa and Medieval Europe: Joshua B. Forrest, University of Vermont. 8. The Pendulum Between Theory and Substance: Testing the Concepts of Legitimacy and Trust: Mattei Dogan, French National Centre of Scientific Research, Paris.