Today, the activity of comparing countries centres on four main objectives, all of
which co-exist and are mutually reinforcing in any systematic comparative study, but
some of which receive more emphasis, depending on the aspirations of the scholar.
Contextual description allows political scientists to know what other countries are
like. Classification makes the world of politics less complex, effectively providing the
researcher with 'data containers' into which empirical evidence is organized (Sartori
1970: 1039). The hypothesis-testing function of comparison allows the elimination
of rival explanations about particular events, actors, structures, etc. in an effort to
help build more general theories. Finally, comparison of countries and the generalizations
that result from comparison allow prediction about the likely outcomes in
other countries not included in the original comparison, or outcomes in the future
given the presence of certain antecedent factors.