This paper seeks to explain three distinctive trends of methodological arguments in the contemporary study of comparative politics, which are positivists, realists, and statists. On these three approaches, there is no consensus among scholars about which one is the most appropriate to the comparative study of different nation-states. The purpose of this paper is to identify the strength and weakness in the conflicting arguments found in three approaches. This involves an overall analysis of the various ontological perspectives, different problem perceptions, and future alternatives. In this comparative review, this paper also attempts to present inherent problems in each trend.
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