A) The traditional "case study" approach to research (research on "the case of Slovenia") has been transcended by research into the characteristics of Slovenian politics based on international comparative research. The new approach provides some interesting research results for both the Slovenian and international political science communities. B) The international comparative research has involved the following research subjects: a) the role of electoral engineering in post-socialist countries (manipulation of electoral systems in order to re-shape the parliamentary party arena); b) the role of constitutional choice (presidential versus parliamentary) in post-socialist countries; and c) the linking of political parties from post-socialist countries with European party federations. These research results partly alter earlier results predominantly based on studies of Western democracies (especially research findings on the impacts of constitutional choice, choice of an electoral system and its specific elements on both party arenas and the representation of marginal social groups in political representative institutions). C) The new research findings are the fruits of research into transitions to democracy and political systems on a sample of Eastern and Central European post-socialist countries as well as countries in the territory of former Yugoslavia (Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia - the latter two being included in the research as autonomous units). So far, they have not been included in any study based on the same research design. D) A critical (self-)reflection of Slovenian political science in the context of an international comparative analysis of political science's development in post-socialist countries (involvement in two European thematic networks on political science development).