Lawrence Mayer is professor of political science at Texas Tech University. His current research interests include party system change, especially in the weakening of mainstream parties of the moderate left and right, and the emergence of populist parties of identity. His published books include: Comparative Politics: Nations and Theories in a Changing World (With Burnett, Ogden, and Tuman), American Public Policy (with Cochran, Carr, and Cayer), Redefining Comparative Politics, Politics in Industrial Societies (with Burnett), and Comparative Political Inquiry: A Methodological Survey. His articles have appeared in Political Science and Politics, Nationalism and Ethnic Politics, Comparative Political Studies, The Western Political Quarterly, Teaching Political Science, and West European Politics.