A global examination that includes nations in Latin America, Asia, Russia, Eastern Europe, and Africa, this book investigates the implications of the various paths that nations take to democracy and the political and economic programmes needed to stabilise new democracies. From military to authoritarian to communist oligarchies, the essays reveal that democratic transitions were instigated by division within the ruling elite, and poor economic performance followed in its wake. An extensive look at what the United States can do through its foreign policy to promote and invest in...

This book focuses on the origins, evolution, and demise of the Continental Congress, reinterpreting its successes and failures from the perspective of the "new institutionalism." In the process, the book lays open a fascinating historical laboratory for exploring contemporary questions about the nature of political institutions, the strategic incentives those institutions present to those involved, and the outcomes that result.

This book offers a comprehensive assessment of the major theoretical approaches to the study of American politics. Written by leading scholars in the field, the book's essays focus particularly on the contributions that competing macro- and microanalytic approaches make to our understanding of political change in America.The essays include systematic overviews of the patterns of constancy and change that characterize American political history as well as comparative discussions of theoretical traditions in the study of American political change. The volume concludes with four provocative...