As a collection, these books cover their topics in depth, including historical global background on each type of government. They have balanced viewpoints that reference specific periods and current figures. . . . The volumes are informative and succinct, without overloading readers with extraneous facts. The authors consistently discuss how any given type of government impacts that country’s relationships with its neighbors and the world and investigate how it impacts the lives of its citizens, in both positive and negative ways. The material is up-to-the-minute and conveys the overall sense that governments are always in flux.