This course addresses the main characteristics of the political system in Spain from a comparative perspective, that is, taking into account the singularities of the Spanish case in relation to political systems in other advanced democracies. The content organization is structured around five blocks. The first is a review of the origins of the current political system that explores the process of transition to democracy and transitional justice in comparison with other countries. The second block is made up of two sessions on the institutional design of the Spanish political system, one dedicated to the territorial model due to its relevance both in the constitutional debate and in the configuration of political competition, and another dedicated to the main institutional characteristics of the Spanish political system from a comparative perspective. The third block analyzes the study of the main actors of the political system - political parties, voters and civil society - and of the structure where these actors operate (public administration). In the fourth block, the tensions in the system originated after the financial crisis in 2008 are analyzed. The first session of this block deals with the crisis of representation during the first years of the 2010s and the second session is dedicated to the study of ideological and affective polarization. The last block addresses two aspects of the political system that have starred in the current debate in recent years: corruption and the quality of democracy.