Beyond the Two Party System: Political Representation, Economic Competitiveness and Australian Politics

by Ian Marsh

The demands placed on western governments have increased exponentially over the years, but the fundamental structure of most of these governments - the two party system - has not. Governments are not only required to be competitive in the global economy, but the societies they represent have changed, becoming culturally and ethnically diverse. Ian Marsh's challenging book suggests that the two party regime cannot accommodate these changing needs. It outlines the ways in which politics might change to meet these new demands and achieve genuine participatory democracy. The book explores the nature of citizenship from a historical perspective, proposing a definition of citizenship for the future. Ian Marsh argues that political learning will be central to the development of this new citizen, so that they, and not only the leadership elite, have genuine political input.

423 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Dr Ian Marsh has been a university lecturer in criminology for many years. In that context, he has published numerous academic books on crime and justice, crime and the media and, more generally, sociology. Based on his experiences as an academic criminologist, he has recently started writing fictional books and his first crime novel, Murderer on your Mark, was published in December 2015.