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Perfecting Parliament : Constitutional Reform, Liberalism, and the Rise of Western Democracy - Roger D. Congleton

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Perfecting Parliament

Constitutional Reform, Liberalism, and the Rise of Western Democracy

By: Roger D. Congleton

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Hardcover | 8 November 2010

At a Glance

Hardcover
670 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
22.9 x 15.2 x 4.1

Hardcover

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This book explains why contemporary liberal democracies are based on historical templates rather than revolutionary reforms; why the transition in Europe occurred during a relatively short period in the nineteenth century; why politically and economically powerful men and women voluntarily supported such reforms; how interests, ideas, and preexisting institutions affected the reforms adopted; and why the countries that liberalized their political systems also produced the Industrial Revolution. The analysis is organized in three parts. The first part develops new rational choice models of (1) governance, (2) the balance of authority between parliaments and kings, (3) constitutional exchange, and (4) suffrage reform. The second part provides historical overviews and detailed constitutional histories of six important countries: the United States, United Kingdom, Sweden, the Netherlands, Japan, and Germany. In all the countries discussed, liberal democracy emerged from a long series of constitutional reforms, rather than as a quantum leap from authoritarian to democratic governance. The third part provides additional quantitative evidence in support of the theory, summarizes the results, contrasts the approach taken in this book with that of other scholars, and discusses methodological issues.

Industry Reviews

'If we know how we got here, we know more about how to proceed. This book is a comprehensive effort to help us understand the evolution of the political institutions of Western democracies. The analysis is generalized across several countries with separate but comparable histories. Emphasis is on peaceful processes of institutional development as opposed to romanticized revolutionary change. An exemplary exercise in explanatory social science.' James M. Buchanan, Nobel Laureate in Economics, 1986, George Mason University
'It is rare to find an economist who is a serious student of political history. Roger Congleton's new book is a powerful contribution to historical institutionalism.' Iain McLean, FBA, Oxford University
'Roger Congleton has written a masterful account of the evolution of parliamentary democracy in the West. The book is filled with insightful discussions of the transition to democracy in different countries. It should be of interest for all students of democracy.' Dennis C. Mueller, University of Vienna, Austria
'Roger Congleton has spent years perfecting his knowledge of democratic governance - an extraordinary effort of great value for scholars, students, politicians, and citizens.' Elinor Ostrom, Nobel Laureate in Economics, 2009, Indiana University

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You Can Find This Book In

Non-Fiction Politics & Government Political Structure & Processes Political Structures & Democracy Constitution & The Government & The State Economics Economic Theory & Philosophy Political Economy Law Jurisprudence & General Issues Comparative Law Sociology & Anthropology

Sociology Economic History

Preface	p. ix
On the Origins of Western Democracy	p. 1
Sharing Sovereignty
Team Production, Organization, and Governance	p. 27
Organizational Governance in the Long Run	p. 55
The Origins of Territorial Governance	p. 77
Constitutional Exchange and Divided Governance	p. 97
The Power of the Purse and Constitutional Reform	p. 114
Suffrage without Democracy	p. 141
Ideology, Interest Groups, and Adult Suffrage	p. 161
Historical Evidence on Western Democratic Transitions
Setting the Stage: Philosophical, Economic, and Political Developments Prior to the Nineteenth Century	p. 187
Liberalism and Reform in the Transformative Century	p. 221
Fine-Grained Constitutional Bargaining	p. 266
An Overview of British Constitutional History: The English King and the Medieval Parliament	p. 295
Constitutional Exchange in the United Kingdom	p. 327
The Swedish Transition to Democracy	p. 368
Constitutional Reform in the Netherlands: From Republic, to Kingdom, to Parliamentary Democracy	p. 409
Germany: Constitutional Negotiations in an Emerging State	p. 449
The Japanese Transition to Democracy and Back	p. 485
The United States, an Exception or Further Illustration?	p. 522
Analytical History as Social Science
Quantitative Evidence of Gradual Reform	p. 573
Ideas, Interests, and Constitutional Reform	p. 591
Appendix: Methodological Approach, Limits, and Extensions	p. 611
References	p. 627
Index	p. 651
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Perfecting Parliament

Constitutional Reform, Liberalism, and the Rise of Western Democracy

At a Glance

Hardcover

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

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