Contemporary democracies : participation, stability, and violence / G. Bingham Powell, Jr.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Powell, G. Bingham.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Comparative government.

Democracy.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (294 pages) : 37 tables

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, MA : Harvard University Press, c1982.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

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.

Contents:

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

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780674042353

0674042352

OCLC:

923110351