This book adapts a formal model of elections and legislative politics to study party politics in Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, Britain, and the United States. The approach uses the idea of valence, that is, the party leader's non-policy electoral popularity, and employs survey data to model these elections. The analysis explains why small parties in Israel and Italy keep to the electoral periphery. In the Netherlands, Britain, and the US, the electoral model is extended to include the behavior of activists. In the case of Britain, it is shown that there will be contests between activists for the two main parties over who controls policy. For the recent 2005 election, it is argued that the losses of the Labour party were due to Blair's falling valence. For the US, the model gives an account of the rotation of the locations of the two major parties over the last century.

American democracy is in deep crisis. But what do we do about it? That depends on how we understand the current threat.In Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop, Lee Drutman argues that we now have, for the first time in American history, a genuine two-party system, with two fully-sorted, truly national parties, divided over the character of the nation. And it's a disaster. It's a party system fundamentally at odds withour anti-majoritarian, compromise-oriented governing institutions. It threatens the very foundations of fairness and shared values on which our democracy depends.Deftly weaving together history, democratic theory, and cutting-edge political science research, Drutman tells the story of how American politics became so toxic and why the country is now trapped in a doom loop of escalating two-party warfare from which there is only one escape: increase the numberof parties through electoral reform. As he shows, American politics was once stable because the two parties held within them multiple factions, which made it possible to assemble flexible majorities and kept the climate of political combat from overheating. But as conservative Southern Democrats andliberal Northeastern Republicans disappeared, partisan conflict flattened and pulled apart. Once the parties became fully nationalized - a long-germinating process that culminated in 2010 - toxic partisanship took over completely. With the two parties divided over competing visions of nationalidentity, Democrats and Republicans no longer see each other as opponents, but as enemies. And the more the conflict escalates, the shakier our democracy feels.Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop makes a compelling case for large scale electoral reform - importantly, reform not requiring a constitutional amendment - that would give America more parties, making American democracy more representative, more responsive, and ultimately more stable.

This book offers the first conceptually rigorous analysis of the political and institutional underpinnings of Brazil's recent rise. Using Brazil as a case study in multiparty presidentialism, the authors argue that Brazil's success stems from the combination of a constitutionally strong president and a robust system of checks and balances.

The U.S. two-party system is unique among populous Western-style democracies in its exclusion of minor parties. It is truly a duopoly, a "cornered market" - at the federal level, no third party has been elected to a congressional seat since 1948. The last time fewer than 95 percent of seats went to Democrats and Republicans was in 1896. Yet the main parties did change in the 1850s, and there were many times during the 19th century that several parties were represented in Congress. In Beyond Two Parties, Dan Eckam explores how our party system has changed over time and how the way we vote influences it. Alternative voting methods, such as ranked-choice voting, exert a strong and well-understood influence on the number of parties in the system. Using informative charts, tables and diagrams, along with numerous scholarly references, he explains why our party system is so different from other countries' and how it could be changed by adopting a different voting system - with no constitutional amendments required. Using many examples, the author makes a strong case for why we should change to a multiparty system - beginning with an analysis of the two-party system's shortcomings. These include an inherent potential for hijackings, hostage-takings and corruption, thus falling short of the responsiveness and responsibility a great republic should be able to expect from government. He explains how a multiparty system would do a better job of representing the people's interests, and how it would bring benefits ranging from clearer policy positions to improved voter turnout and an end to gerrymandering. Most importantly, by giving voters more choices, such a system would increase competition and thus improve accountability. Despite the many advantages of a multiparty system, some people still defend the two-party system - including elected leaders who have gained their positions under it. In Beyond Two Parties, Eckam engages with their arguments, and offers rebuttals and strategies voters can use to help bring about reform. In combining well-established science with a compelling argument for improving American democracy, the book offers both an insightful analysis and a resource for reformers.

Why have seemingly similar African countries developed very different forms of democratic party systems? Despite virtually ubiquitous conditions that are assumed to be challenging to democracy - low levels of economic development, high ethnic heterogeneity, and weak state capacity - nearly two dozen African countries have maintained democratic competition since the early 1990s. Yet the forms of party system competition vary greatly: from highly stable, nationally organized, well-institutionalized party systems to incredibly volatile, particularistic parties in systems with low institutionalization. To explain their divergent development, Rachel Beatty Riedl points to earlier authoritarian strategies to consolidate support and maintain power. The initial stages of democratic opening provide an opportunity for authoritarian incumbents to attempt to shape the rules of the new multiparty system in their own interests, but their power to do so depends on the extent of local support built up over time.

In the wake of Election 2000 and the Ralph Nader factor, this collection of original essays by leading political scientists examines the possibilities for and performance of minor parties in the American political system. Looking at the rise and fall of the Reform Party and the seeming upsurge in Green Party prospects, the authors present evidence and opinion about the viability of a multiparty system in the United States. New York party politics and Congressional and state legislative elections add depth to our understanding of multiparty politics in action. A unique public opinion survey shows surprising variation in citizen's attitudes toward minor parties and multiparty politics nationwide. Will minor parties flourish or flounder in the 2004 election season? This volume offers a variety of views that every voter should consider. Visit our website for sample chapters!