Many advanced countries are facing a shared problem that democracy is not functioning as well as it should. Malfunctioning Democracy in Japan: Quantitative Analysis in a Civil Society, by Yoshiaki Kobayashi, investigates the causes of these problems using Japan as a particular case study. Kobayashi begins with a discussion of the current functionality of democracy in Japan. These first chapters examine whether pledges given by political parties are ever fulfilled, which factors affect campaign pledges given by candidates at each election, and if there are discrepancies between public opinion...