Parliamentary Versus Presidential Government (Oxford Readings in Politics and Government) [Hardcover]

Arend Lijphart (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2, 1992 | ISBN-10: 0198780435 | ISBN-13: 978-0198780434

Parliamentary and presidential governments--exemplified by most European countries for the former and the United States and Latin America for the latter--are the two principal forms of democracy in the modern world. Their respective advantages and disadvantages have been long debated, at first mainly by British and American political observers but with increasing frequency in other parts of the world, not only in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, but in Latin America and Asia as well. The recent world-wide wave of democratization has intensified both the debate and its significance. This volume brings together the most important statement on the subject by advocates and analysts--from Montesquieu and Madison to Lipset and Linz. It also treats the merits of less frequently used democratic types, such as French-style semi-presidentialism, that may be regarded as intermediate forms between parliamentarism and presidentialism.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An excellent culling of the major writings on the ever-present parliamentary vs. presidential debate. Political practitioners as well as scholars will benefit from it."--Paul Wallace, Univ. of Missouri

"A very important book, relating structure to performance. I look forward to using an institutional study, something rare in the literature."--R. Hamburg, Indiana University, South Bend

"A good selection of analyses of various types and models of executive-legislative relationships and dynamics. Useful for students who look for patterns focusing on institutional and structural processes."--Rene Peritz, Slippery Rock Univ.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Arend Lijphart is at University of California, San Diego. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (April 2, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198780435
• ISBN-13: 978-0198780434
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,488,245 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A collection of important essays in the field, September 23, 2010

By 

Enjolras (Springfield, MA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: Parliamentary Versus Presidential Government (Oxford Readings in Politics and Government) (Paperback)

This is a useful collection of important essays on the presidential-parliamentary debate. It's a bit dated (last updated in 2000), and the field has progressed quite a bit since then. But it contains many of the classics. My only complaint is that it seems a bit slated in favor of parliamentary systems. While there are some counterarguments (such as Horowitz), they are neither as strong nor as prevalent.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Parliamentary vs. Presidential Government, December 21, 2009

By 

Adam (California) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Parliamentary Versus Presidential Government (Oxford Readings in Politics and Government) (Paperback)

A good persuasive reading on parliamentary and presidential government. I found that this book was above my reading level.