In this fascinating exploration of democracy, Reynolds assembles prominent scholars to discuss the successes and failures of constitutional design. Chapters analyze the effects of presidential and parliamentary systems, issues of federalism and autonomy, and the varying impact of electoral systems, concluding with notable case studies of Fiji, Ireland, Eritrea, Indonesia, Nigeria, and India. The culmination of the study of constitutional engineering in the third wave of democracy, this important work sets parameters for crucial research as democracy diffuses across the world.

Designing Democracy in a Dangerous World addresses a question at the heart of contemporary global politics: how does one craft democracy in fragile and divided states? In Iraq and Afghanistan, spiraling conflict was driven in large part by the mistakes of institutional design in the immediate post-conflict period. The future hopes for peace and stability in those, and other cases, rest on a well designed political system which can bring legitimacy to elected leaders and offer reassurances to minorities.
Designing Democracy in a Dangerous World fills gaps in knowledge in three ways. First,...

Anglo-Saxon Deviant Burial Customs is the first detailed consideration of the ways in which Anglo-Saxon society dealt with social outcasts. Beginning with the period following Roman rule and ending in the century following the Norman Conquest, it surveys a period of fundamental social change, which included the conversion to Christianity, the emergence of the late Saxon state, and the development of the landscape of the Domesday Book.
While an impressive body of written evidence for the period survives in the form of charters and law-codes, archaeology is uniquely placed to investigate...

A testament to the power of individuals to impact social change.

The gay rights movement has achieved social transformation at a dizzying pace, upending conventional views on sex, love, marriage, the family, and equality itself. While most scholars understand the movement as a broad-based social movement, Andrew Reynolds argues that the most important catalyst of gay rights is often overlooked: individuals. Specifically, openly gay politicians had a critical role in bringing about a more positive attitude towards homosexuality, both among other politicians and the general public.

The...