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cps-topic-selection

separate

Use when deciding whether a research question fits Comparative Political Studies (CPS) and how to frame its comparative contribution. Tests comparative leverage and travel; it does not design the study or write the paper.

When to use

• Choosing a question or deciding if CPS is the right venue
• Evaluating drafts that read as single-country cases with no comparative leverage
• Addressing feedback asking why a topic is comparative or fits CPS
• Deciding whether a single case can carry a portable theoretical claim
• Testing comparative leverage and travel
• Framing comparative contribution

When not to use

• Designing the study
• Writing the paper
• General US political-science flagship pitches
• IR and IR-adjacent comparative work
• Broad UK generalist work
• Pure-IR or pure-formal-theory questions that never compare political systems

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