Read more
Zusatztext ...important new book. What is valuable about this book is that it provides a clear analysis of the different values involved in democracy, combined with a detailed examination of the mechanics of actual election systems. - Richard S Katz. Times Literary Supplement. 21/8/1998 Klappentext This book addresses the relationship between four values of democratic theory--popular sovereignty! liberalism! personal development! and community--and the electoral institutions used to implement them. After a chapter sketching the electoral institutions of Athens! the Roman Republic! the medieval church! and pre-reform Britain! the book examines what role elections are expected to play in a variety of democratic theories. The major theme of this section is that the four values are largely incompatible; therefore! different choices must be made between them. Part II addresses the empirical consequences of electoral institutions by examining electoral systems worldwide with the objective of finding the institutions most appropriate to each model of democracy. This impressive study provides empirical information on more electoral institutions in more countries than has ever been available in one volume before. Zusammenfassung Analyzing the electoral systems of various countries, including those of developing nations, this work examines the relationship between democratic theory values and the electoral institutions used to achieve them. Empirical data is used to find the institutions most appropriate to each model.
