Patterns of Democracy : Government Forms and Performance in Thirty-Six Countries

by Lijphart, Arend

• ISBN13: 9780300172027
• ISBN10: 0300172028
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2012-09-11
• Publisher: Yale University Press

Summary

In this updated and expanded edition of his classic text, Arend Lijphart offers a broader and deeper analysis of worldwide democratic institutions than ever before. Examining thirty-six democracies during period from 1945 to 2010, Lijphart arrives at importantand unexpectedconclusions about what type of democracy works best. Praise for the previous edition: "Magnificent. . . . The best-researched book on democracy in the world today."Malcolm Mackerras, American Review of Politics "I can't think of another scholar as well qualified as Lijphart to write a book of this kind. He has an amazing grasp of the relevant literature, and he's compiled an unmatched collection of data."Robert A. Dahl, Yale University "This sound comparative research . . . will continue to be a standard in graduate and undergraduate courses in comparative politics." Choice

Author Biography

Arend Lijphart is professor emeritus of political science at the University of California, San Diego, and the author or editor of more than twenty books, including Democracy in Plural Societies, published by Yale University Press. He lives in San Francisco.

Table of Contents

Preface to the Second Edition	p. ix
Preface to the First Edition	p. xv
Introduction	p. 1
The Westminster Model of Democracy	p. 9
The Consensus Model of Democracy	p. 30
Thirty-Six Democracies	p. 46
Party Systems: Two-Party and Multiparty Patterns	p. 60
Cabinets: Concentration Versus Sharing of Executive Power	p. 79
Executive-Legislative Relations: Patterns of Dominance and Balance of Power	p. 105
Electoral Systems: Majority and Plurality Methods Versus Proportional Representation	p. 130
Interest Groups: Pluralism Versus Corporatism	p. 158
Division of Power: The Federal-Unitary and Centralized-Decentralized Contrasts	p. 174
Parliaments and Congresses: Concentration Versus Division of Legislative Power	p. 187
Constitutions: Amendment Procedures and Judicial Review	p. 204
Central Banks: Independence Versus Dependence	p. 226
The Two-Dimensional Conceptual Map of Democracy	p. 239
Effective Government and Policy-Making: Does Consensus Democracy Make a Difference?	p. 255
The Quality of Democracy and a "Kinder, Gentler" Democracy: Consensus Democracy Makes a Difference	p. 274
Conclusions and Recommendations	p. 295
Appendix: Two Dimensions and Ten Basic Variables, 1945-2010 and 1981-2010	p. 304
References	p. 311
Index	p. 338
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