State, Institutions and Democracy

State, Institutions and Democracy
Author: Norman Schofield
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 401
Release: 2016-10-25
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 3319445820

This book presents a set of original and innovative contributions on state, institutions and democracy in the field of political economy. Modern political economy has implied the interaction between politics and economics to understand political, electoral and public issues in different nations, and in this volume a group of leading political economists and political scientists from Europe, America and Asia provides theoretical advances, modelling and case studies on main topics in political economy. The analysis of the role and performance of politics and democracy in diverse nations implies the study of the organization of the state, lobbying, political participation, public policies, electoral politics, public administration and the provision of public services. This book provides advances in the research frontier of these topics and combines historical evidence, institutional analysis, mathematical models and empirical analysis in an interdisciplinary approach. Political and social scientists, economists and those interested in the performance of states, democracy and elections can find new research results in this volume.

Multilevel Democracy

Multilevel Democracy
Author: Jefferey M. Sellers
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 413
Release: 2020-03-05
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1108427782

Explores ways to make democracy work better, with particular focus on the integral role of local institutions.

Democratization in Africa

Democratization in Africa
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 94
Release: 1992-02-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0309047978

The global movement toward democracy, spurred in part by the ending of the cold war, has created opportunities for democratization not only in Europe and the former Soviet Union, but also in Africa. This book is based on workshops held in Benin, Ethiopia, and Namibia to better understand the dynamics of contemporary democratic movements in Africa. Key issues in the democratization process range from its institutional and political requirements to specific problems such as ethnic conflict, corruption, and role of donors in promoting democracy. By focusing on the opinion and views of African intellectuals, academics, writers, and political activists and observers, the book provides a unique perspective regarding the dynamics and problems of democratization in Africa.

Driving Democracy

Driving Democracy
Author: Pippa Norris
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2008-08-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9780521694803

Proposals for power-sharing constitutions remain controversial, as highlighted by current debates in Iraq, Afghanistan, Nepal, and Sudan. This book updates and refines the theory of consociationalism, taking account of the flood of contemporary innovations in power-sharing institutions that have occurred worldwide. The book classifies and compares four types of political institutions: the electoral system, parliamentary or presidential executives, unitary or federal states, and the structure and independence of the mass media. The study tests the potential advantages and disadvantages of each of these institutions for democratic governance. Cross-national time-series data concerning trends in democracy are analyzed for all countries worldwide since the early 1970s. Chapters are enriched by comparing detailed case studies. The mixed-method research design illuminates the underlying causal mechanisms by examining historical developments and processes of institutional change within particular nations and regions. The conclusion draws together the results and the practical lessons for policymakers.

Political Economy of Institutions, Democracy and Voting

Political Economy of Institutions, Democracy and Voting
Author: Norman Schofield
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 426
Release: 2011-06-11
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 3642195199

This book presents the latest research in the field of Political Economy, dealing with the integration of economics and politics and the way institutions affect social decisions. The authors are eminent scholars from the U.S., Canada, Britain, Spain, Italy, Mexico and the Philippines. Many of them have been influenced by Nobel laureate Douglass North, who pioneered the new institutional social sciences, or by William H. Riker who contributed to the field of positive political theory. The book focuses on topics such as: case studies in institutional analysis; research on war and the formation of states; the analysis of corruption; new techniques for analyzing elections, involving game theory and empirical methods; comparing elections under plurality and proportional rule, and in developed and new democracies.

The State of Democratic Theory

The State of Democratic Theory
Author: Ian Shapiro
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 196
Release: 2009-01-10
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 140082589X

What should we expect from democracy, and how likely is it that democracies will live up to those expectations? In The State of Democratic Theory, Ian Shapiro offers a critical assessment of contemporary answers to these questions, lays out his distinctive alternative, and explores its implications for policy and political action. Some accounts of democracy's purposes focus on aggregating preferences; others deal with collective deliberation in search of the common good. Shapiro reveals the shortcomings of both, arguing instead that democracy should be geared toward minimizing domination throughout society. He contends that Joseph Schumpeter's classic defense of competitive democracy is a useful starting point for achieving this purpose, but that it stands in need of radical supplementation--both with respect to its operation in national political institutions and in its extension to other forms of collective association. Shapiro's unusually wide-ranging discussion also deals with the conditions that make democracy's survival more and less likely, with the challenges presented by ethnic differences and claims for group rights, and with the relations between democracy and the distribution of income and wealth. Ranging over politics, philosophy, constitutional law, economics, sociology, and psychology, this book is written in Shapiro's characteristic lucid style--a style that engages practitioners within the field while also opening up the debate to newcomers.

Democracy and Institutions

Democracy and Institutions
Author: Markus M. L. Crepaz
Publisher: University of Michigan Press
Total Pages: 276
Release: 2000-06-16
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9780472111268

How institutional engineering affects the life of democracies

Informal Institutions and Democracy

Informal Institutions and Democracy
Author: Gretchen Helmke
Publisher: JHU Press
Total Pages: 378
Release: 2006-08-28
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780801883514

"The volume emerged out of two conferences on informal institutions. The first, entitled 'Informal Institutions and Politics in the Developing World, ' was held at Harvard University in April 2002 ... The second conference, entitled 'Informal Institutions and Politics in Latin America: Understanding the Rules of the Game, ' was held at the Kellogg Institute for International Studies, University of Notre Dame, in April 2003"--Pref

Institutions and Democracy in Africa

Institutions and Democracy in Africa
Author: Nic Cheeseman
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 399
Release: 2018-02-22
Genre: History
ISBN: 1107148243

Offers new research on the vital importance of institutions, such as presidential term-limits in the African democratisation processes.

Mechanisms of Democracy

Mechanisms of Democracy
Author: Adrian Vermeule
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 273
Release: 2007-07-24
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0199745099

What institutional arrangements should a well-functioning constitutional democracy have? Most of the relevant literatures in law, political science, political theory, and economics address this question by discussing institutional design writ large. In this book, Adrian Vermeule moves beyond these debates, changing the focus to institutional design writ small. In established constitutional polities, Vermeule argues that law can and should - and to some extent already does - provide mechanisms of democracy: a repertoire of small-scale institutional devices and innovations that can have surprisingly large effects, promoting democratic values of impartial, accountable and deliberative government. Examples include legal rules that promote impartiality by depriving officials of the information they need to act in self-interested ways; voting rules that create the right kind and amount of accountability for political officials and judges; and legislative rules that structure deliberation, in part by adjusting the conditions under which deliberation occurs transparently or instead secretly. Drawing upon a range of social science tools from economics, political science, and other disciplines, Vermeule carefully describes the mechanisms of democracy and indicates the conditions under which they can succeed.