Citizens and Community: Political Support in a Representative Democracy (Cambridge Studies in Comparative Politics) [Hardcover]

Allan Kornberg (Author), Harold D. Clarke (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 24, 1992 | ISBN-10: 0521416787 | ISBN-13: 978-0521416788

The related subjects of political legitimacy and system support are key theoretical concerns of students of democratic societies. They have received very little scholarly attention, however, because of the conceptual and methodological complexities they engender. In this book, the authors address these concerns through systematic multivariate analyses of the sources, distribution and consequences of variations in citizen support for key political objects in one such society, Canada. Although they do so within a comparative context, their primary focus is on Canada because it is not only one of the world's oldest democracies, but is a country that has experienced support problems that periodically have reached crisis proportions. Many of the problems facing Canada are extreme examples of difficulties that have vexed other democracies and this study helps illuminate both the conditions under which democracies in general are able to sustain themselves and those under which they could flounder. The authors demonstrate that political support has its origins in people's political socialization experiences and their judgments about the operation of key political and economic institutions and processes. They find that political support is not "of a piece" and that average citizens are able to distinguish among and ascribe different degrees of support to key political objects such as Parliament, the bureaucracy, the judiciary, parties, the system of federalism, and the national political community itself.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This landmark work, on the connection between citizen support and the continuity of representative democracy in Canada, covers multiple theoretical and empirical issues....The authors give flesh to their theories with data remarkable for their breadth, depth, and provenance. Breadth is represented by the range of issues encompassed, including evaluations of the economy and the government's role in its handling, along with citizens' personal economic grievances." The Journal of Politics

Book Description

The related subjects of political legitimacy and system support are key theoretical concerns of students of democracies. This 1992 book addresses these concerns through systematic analyses of the sources, distribution, and consequences of variations in support for key political institutions in one democracy, Canada.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 303 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (April 24, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521416787
• ISBN-13: 978-0521416788
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,616,417 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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