The most fundamental element of representative democracy is the electoral system--translating citizens' votes into representatives' seats. Electoral systems are also the most practical and accessible instrument available to democratic reformers. This systematic and comprehensive study describes and classifies 70 electoral systems used by 27 democracies including those of Western Europe, the United States, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, India, Israel, Japan, and New Zealand. Using comparative and statistical analysis of these systems, Arend Lijphart demonstrates the effect of the electoral...

Is it self-interest or public interest that dominates Western politics? In this book, which combines in a novel way insights from different fields, including rational choice theory, political philosophy, and electoral research, Leif Lewin examines more than two- hundred studies of democracy in action from seventeen countries. He looks at the behavior and attitudes of voters, bureaucrats, and politicians, in turn, and shows that the plausible and prevalent theory that egoism rules simply doesn't match the facts. This intriguing study will be of special interest to students of comparative...

Why would parties continue to care about membership enrollment in an age of television campaigning and direct mail fundraising? To answer this question, Susan Scarrow traces organizing strategies employed by British and German membership parties during the past half century. Using careful analysis of historical records and interviews with party officials, she shows that party organizers have reacted to technological and social developments by modifying their ideas about how members can help parties achieve their goals.

Stein Rokkan was one of the leading social scientist of the post-war world. He was a prolific writer, yet nowhere is his contribution to social science--the conceptual and developmental map of Europe--presented in an integrated and systematic way. Drawing on Rokkan's published, unpublished and translated writings, this book systematizes and integrates Rokkan's numerous writings in the way he himself planned to do.

This fully revised and updated edition of an established reference book provides in one volume the most comprehensive and detailed statistical guide available to the government and politics of the twenty-four countries in the OECD.

Semi-Presidentialism is the term used to describe the constitutional arrangement where there is a directly elected president and a prime-minister who is responsible to parliament. This book examines the politics of semi-presidentialism and explores why seemingly similar political systems operate in such different ways. It studies the constitutional powers of political leaders and the role of political parties.

Germany's unification initially raised fears about an all-powerful and undemocratic Germany at the heart of Europe. Based on hundreds of in-depth interviews, this book examines the democratic views of parliamentarians in Germany and compares them to the views of ordinary citizens. The book argues that although the majority of Germans support democratic values, especially in western Germany, there is significant evidence for lingering authoritarianism in the East. More than just an analysis of German political culture, the book offers compelling conclusions about the future of democracy in all...

This new edition offers a clear and accessible comparative introduction to the political institutions of Western Europe's four largest countries: Britain, France, Italy, and Germany. It has been thoroughly revised to cover not only developments at a national level, but also the growing integration of national politics with the politics of the European Union.

This study of British politics from 1760 to 1832 deals with the reasons why people went into politics, the functions of party and patronage and the balance of power between King, Lords and Commons. George III is the central figure of the work and the author discusses the King's conception of his mission and his struggles with "that hydra faction".