ECMI Library
The ECMI Library is an independent collection of books, journals, and grey literature of more than 3,000 items covering many aspects of minority issues. The highly specialized collection offers public access to a variety of materials in more than twenty languages on interethnic relations, language and cultural diversity issues and ethnic conflict in Europe.
The Library includes a useful reference section and a considerable number of published and unpublished reports, and is especially strong in the area of minority protection with regards to international law. The ECMI Library is also unique in that it includes an ever-growing number of annual reports of Ombudsman offices around the world, which provide insight into the human rights situation in many countries. Current periodical and newspaper subscriptions reflect the multidisciplinary nature of ECMI research, and reference services are provided both in-house and for the general public.
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Details
| Author |
Lijphart, Arend |
|---|---|
| Title | Patterns of Democracy : Government Forms and Performance in Thirty-Six Countries |
| Parallel title / Title of generic unit | |
| Subject | 1. Democracy. 2. Comparative government. |
| Publisher | New Haven and London: Yale University Press |
| Year | 1999 |
| Pages | xiv, 351 |
| Description | This is an updated and expanded edition of the book "Democracies" by the same author. The author examines thirty-six democracies during the half-century from 1945 to 1996, and arrives at significant conclusions about what type of democracy works best. Although conventional wisdom suggests that majoritarian democracies like those in the United states and Great Britain are superior to consensual systems like those in Switzerland and Israel, the author shows that this is not so. In fact, consensual systems stimulate economic growth, control inflation and unemployment, and limit budget deficits just as well as majoritarian democracies do. Consensus democracies clearly outperform majoritarian systems on measures of political equality, women's representation, citizen participation in elections, and proximity between government policies and voter preferences. Systematically comparing cabinets, legislatures, parties, elections systems, interest groups and central banks, the author demonstrates that the more consensual a democracy, the "kinder and gentler" it is when addressing such issues as welfare, the environment, criminal justice, and foreign aid. These findings are of far-reaching import not only for countries designing their first democratic constitutions but also for established democracies seeking practical approaches to reform. |
| Type | Book |
| Note | Includes bibliographical references and index. CONTENTS: Introduction / The Westminster Model of Democracy / The Consensus Model of Democracy / Thirty-Six Democracies / Party Systems: Two-Party and Multiparty Patterns / Cabinets: Concentration Versus Sharing of Executive Power / Executive-Legislative Relations: Patterns of Dominance and Balance of Power / Electoral Systems: Majority and Plurality Methods Versus Proportional Representation / Interest Groups: Pluralism Versus Corporatism / Division of Power: The Federal Unitary and Centralized-Decentralized Contrasts / Parliaments and Congresses: Concentration Versus Division of Legislative Power / Constitutions: Amendment Procedures and Judicial Review / Central Banks: Independence Versus Dependence / The Two-Dimensional Conceptual Map of Democracy / Macro-Economic Management and the Control of Violence: Does Consensus Democracy Make a Difference? / The Quality of Democracy and a "Kinder, Gentler" Democracy: Consensus Democracy Makes a Difference / Conclusions and Recommendations / Appendix A: Two Dimenstions and Ten Basic Variables, 1945-96 and 1971-96 / Appendix B: Alternative Measure of Multipartism, Cabinet Composition, and Disproportionality, 1945-96 and 1971-96 |
| Language | English |
| Series | |
| Identifier | 0300078935 |
| Call No. |
321.8 |
| Location |
Library |
How to find the ECMI Library?
The ECMI Library is accessible to staff, students and the general public at the:
Danish Central Library (next to The Schleswig Collection)
Norderstraße 59
Flensburg.
Materials from the ECMI Library may not be loaned out, but can be consulted in the Danish library on the following days:
Monday - Friday: 10 am - 7 pm
Saturday: 10 am - 2 pm
For any other inquiries, please contact the ECMI Librarian at library@
ecmi.de.
