Contemporary Democracies
Participation, Stability, and Violence
Published on 1. January 1984
Book
Paperback/Softback
294 pages
978-0-674-16687-5 (ISBN)
Description
Why do some democracies succeed while others fail? In seeking an answer to this classic problem, G. Bingham Powell, Jr., examines the record of voter participation, government stability, and violence in 29 democracies during the 1960s and 1970s. The core of the book and its most distinguishing feature is the treatment of the role of political parties in mobilizing citizens and containing violence.
Reviews / Votes
G. Bingham Powell's new work clearly fits into the small group of important studies of the past generation that combine rigorous analysis of data from a number of societies and theoretical generalizations that have appeared in bits and pieces in studies of more limited scope. The result is impressive... We are treated to a mature piece of social science scholarship, one that represents the 'state of the art' in comparative political studies. * Worldview * One of the most important contributions to political science of the last decades. Through rigorous empirical analysis...[Powell] provides us with a rich set of tested propositions about the complex interrelationship of socio-cultural environments, institutional and electoral arrangements, party and interest group systems, and government political performance. He has brought us significantly closer to a scientific theory of democracy. -- Gabriel A. Almond The central role of political parties as they mediate between environmental, social, and economic factors, on the one hand, and political outcomes, on the other hand, is delineated in a way that I find especially illuminating and creative. The book will stand as a major work in comparative politics. -- Jorge I. Dominguez This judicious methodological approach, the wide substantive scope, and the wealth of empirical findings clearly make Powell's book one of the most important contributions to comparative democratic politics in recent years. -- Arend LijphartMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge, Mass
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
37 tables
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 152 mm
Weight
435 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-674-16687-5 (9780674166875)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
07/2009
Harvard University Press
€44.59
Available for download
Person
G. Bingham Powell, Jr., is Professor of Political Science, University of Rochester, and coauthor of Comparative Politics: System, Process, and Policy.
Content
1. Introduction--Democracy, Parties, and Performance The Contemporary Democracies Political Parties and the Democratic Order Standards of Political Performance 2. Political Performance--The Initial Comparison Citizen Voting Participation Stable and Effective Government Maintaining Political Order Compatibility of the Performance Dimensions 3. The Social and Economic Environment Population Size Modernization and Economic Development Social Cleavages Economic Divisions A Brief Multivariate Consideration 4. The Constitutional Setting Constitutional Design Constitutional Design and Political Performance Constitution and Culture Socioeconomic and Constitutional Effects 5. Party Systems and Election Outcomes Attributes of Party Systems Fractionalization Parties and Social Groups Extremist Parties Volatility of Party Strength Party-System Dynamics Party Systems and Democratic Performance 6. Citizen Involvement I Participation or Turmoil Getting Citizens to the Polls A Causal Model of Voting Participation Turmoil and Its Containment 7. Government Performance / Executive Stability Parliamentary Systems: Government Formation Parliamentary Systems: Durability of Governments Presidential Government 8. Managing Violence and Sustaining Democracy Elite Bases of Deadly Violence Organized Violence: Strategic Objectives and Consequences How Democracies Are Replaced: Military and Executive Coups 9. Democratic Performance--Liberty, Competition, Responsiveness Civil Liberties Political Competition Policy Responsiveness 10. Conclusion--Constraint and Creativity in Democracies Relationships among the Dimensions of Performance Executive Control and Economic Manipulation Institutionalizing Compromise: Consociational Practices Requirements for Performance and Survival Comparative Analysis: Limits and Directions Appendix Notes Index