Description
Book SynopsisRelies on historical data spanning back to the eighteenth century from Canada, Great Britain, India, and the United States to revise our understanding of why a country's party system consists of national or regional parties. This title places contemporary party politics in the four examined countries in historical and comparative perspectives.
Trade ReviewWinner of the 2005 Leon D. Epstein Outstanding Book Award, Division of Political Organizations and Parties of the American Political Science Association Runner-Up for the 2005 Gregory Luebbert Book Award, Comparative Politics Section of the American Political Science Association "In this comprehensive book Pradeep Chhibber and Ken Kollman examine in detail and over long historical periods four countries that use the same electoral system but have had differing party systems, both comparatively and historically. Their central argument is that party systems are more aggregated, that is, more national ... where economic and political power rests with the national government."--Choice
Table of ContentsList of Figures and Tables ix Acknowledgments xiii CHAPTER ONE: Introduction 1 CHAPTER TWO: Electoral Competition at the Constituency Level 28 CHAPTER THREE: Party Aggregation 61 CHAPTER FOUR: From Local Notables to Party Competition 81 CHAPTER FIVE: Centralization and Provincialization 101 CHAPTER SIX: Dynamics of Party Aggregation 161 CHAPTER SEVEN: Party Aggregation in Four Countries 180 CHAPTER EIGHT: Conclusion 222 Appendix 239 Bibliography 243 Index 269
