Patterns of Democracy: Government Forms and Performance in Thirty-Six Countries
by Arend Lijphart
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In this updated and expanded edition of his classic text, Arend Lijphart offers a broader and deeper analysis of worldwide democratic institutions than ever before. Examining thirty-six democracies during the period from 1945 to 2010, Lijphart arrives at important-and unexpected-conclusions about what type of democracy works best. Praise for the previous edition:";Magnificent. . . . The best-researched book on democracy in the world today.";-Malcolm Mackerras, American Review of Politics"; I show more can't think of another scholar as well qualified as Lijphart to write a book of this kind. He has an amazing grasp of the relevant literature, and he's compiled an unmatched collection of data.";-Robert A. Dahl, Yale University"; This sound comparative research . . . will continue to be a standard in graduate and undergraduate courses in comparative politics.";-Choice show lessTags
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Updated version of major textbook in comparative politics. This is an important basic text for anyone seeking to understand how democratic systems work.
Good overview of the various forms of democracies and how they compare.
A study of 36 long-established democracies. Lijphart includes not just Europe and North America, but also India, Malaysia, and the Caribbean in his cases.
Formas de gobierno y resultados en 36 paises
May 23, 2020Catalan
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Author Information
18+ Works 511 Members
Arend Lijphart is professor emeritus of political science at the University of California, San Diego, and the author or editor of more than twenty books, including Democracy in Plural Societies, Published by Yale University Press.
Some Editions
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Patterns of Democracy: Government Forms and Performance in Thirty-Six Countries
- Original publication date
- 1999; 1987 (1st edition, Barcelona, Editorial Ariel (1st edition, Barcelona, Editorial Ariel); 1991 (2nd edition) (2nd edition); 1998 (3rd edition) (3rd edition); 1999 (4th edition) (4th edition)
- Important places
- Democracies
- First words
- There are many ways in which, in principle, a democracy can be organized and run; in practice, too, modern democracies exhibit a variety of formal governmental institutions, like legislatures and courts, as well as political ... (show all)party and interest group systems.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)All of the authors I have cited are both sincere democrats and sensitive observers without ulterior nondemocratic motives. Hence, the consensus-oriented political cultures of the non-Western world can be regarded as a strong counterforce to its majoritarian institutional conservatism, and they may well be able to provide fertile soil for consensus democracy.
- Disambiguation notice
- Full title (1999): Patterns of democracy : government forms and performance in thirty-six countries / Arend Lijphart
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- 292
- Popularity
- 110,252
- Reviews
- 4
- Rating
- (3.92)
- Languages
- 5 — English, Estonian, Italian, Portuguese (Portugal), Spanish
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 16
- ASINs
- 4
