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Contemporary Democracies: Participation, Stability, and Violence
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.
294 pages, Hardcover
First published November 3, 1982
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May 28, 2010
A truly exceptional book. The focus is 29 democracies. The book explores a number of issues, including the impact of a state's party system on politics. One fascinating finding: presidential systems, like the United States, tend to be associated with greater instability and violence as compared to parliamentary systems. Why? Powell opines that even fringe parties can win seats in a parliament with proportional representation rules, whereas presidential systems with winner take all rules in legislative contests (as in the US) "freeze out" fringe groups and interests. Is that accurate? Readers would have to make up their minds. All in all, a lot of fine work while studying only 29 democracies.
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