"The option I have is expensive, but the 3-volume [World Encyclopedia of Political Systems and Parties](http://www.amazon.com/World-E...) is exactly what you are describing. Each country has an entry. I will use the entry on India as an example of how the entries work. The entry for India is 19 pages with information on the system of government, the electoral system, the party system, entries on the major and minor political parties, description of other political forces, and a summary on national prospects. One one hand, these books are really informative and provide good briefings on each country. On the other, this set is expensive and political structures change quite often in many parts of the world, rendering entries obsolete." - Kevin Bondelli