Representative Government Books - Page 2

The End of Kings: A History of Republics and Republicans

William R. Everdell

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Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Written in clear, lively prose, The End of Kings traces the history of republican governments and the key figures that are united by the simple republican maxim: No man shall rule alone. Breathtaking in its scope, Everdell's book moves from the Hebrew Bible, Solon's Athens and Brutus's Rome to the impeachment trial of Andrew Johnson and the Watergate proceedings during which Nixon resigned. Along the way, he carefully builds a definition of "republic" which distinguishes democratic republics from aristocratic ones for both history and political science. In a new foreword, Everdell addresses the impeachment trial of President Clinton and argues that impeachment was never meant to punish private crimes. Ultimately, Everdell's brilliant analysis helps us understand how examining the past can shed light on the present.

"[An] energetic, aphoristic, wide-ranging book."—Marcus Cunliffe, Washington Post Book World

"Ambitious in conception and presented in a clear and sprightly prose. . . . [This] excellent study . . . is the best statement of the republican faith since Alphonse Aulard's essays almost a century ago." —Choice

"A book which ought to be in the hand of every American who agrees with Benjamin Franklin that the Founding Fathers gave us a Republic and hoped that we would be able to keep it."-Sam J. Ervin, Jr.

Fair Representation: Meeting the Ideal of One Man, One Vote

Michel L. Balinski, H. Peyton Young

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Editorial Review:

The issue of fair representation will take center stage as U.S. congressional districts are reapportioned based on the 2000 Census. Using U.S. history as a guide, the authors develop a theory of fair representation that establishes various principles for translating state populations-or vote totals of parties-into a fair allocation of congressional seats. They conclude that the current apportionment formula cheats the larger states in favor of the smaller, contrary to the intentions of the founding fathers and compromising the Supreme Court's "one man, one vote" rulings.

Balinski and Young interweave the theoretical development with a rich historical account of controversies over representation, and show how many of these principles grew out of political contests in the course of United States history. The result is a work that is at once history, politics, and popular science. The book-updated with data from the 1980 and 1990 Census counts-vividly demonstrates that apportionment deals with the very substance of political power.

Term Limits and Legislative Representation

John M. Carey

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An Excellent Book 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This book is an outstanding addition to the small but growing canon of literature on term limits. Carey clearly and successfully limns this complex issue. This is a rigerous academic book with important real world conlcusions: a good read for serious scholars and politicos alike.

Editorial Review:

Legislative term limits are the most important electoral reform on the political agenda in the United States. Term Limits and Legislative Representation tests the central arguments made by both supporters and opponents of the reform by examining the experience of Costa Rica, the only long-term democracy to impose term limits on legislators, and by providing extensive comparisons with legislatures in Venezuela and the United States. Professor Carey challenges claims made about the effects of term limits on political careers, on pork barrel politics, and on the effectiveness of political parties in passing their programs.

Democratic Autonomy: Public Reasoning about the Ends of Policy (Oxford Political Theory)

Henry S. Richardson

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What would our decision-making procedures look like if they were actually guided by the much-discussed concept of "deliberative democracy"? What does rule by the people for the people entail? And how can a modern government's reliance on administrative agencies be reconciled with this populist ideal? What form must democratic reasoning take in the modern administrative state? Democratic Autonomy squarely faces these challenges to the deliberative democratic ideal. It identifies processes of reasoning that avert bureaucratic domination and bring diverse people into political agreement. To bridge our differences intelligently, Richardson argues, we cannot rely on instrumentalist approaches to policy reasoning, such as cost-benefit analysis. Instead, citizens must arrive at reasonable compromises through fair, truth-oriented processes of deliberation. Using examples from programs as diverse as disability benefits and environmental regulation, he shows how the administrative policy-making necessary to carrying out most legislation can be part of our deciding what to do. Opposing both those liberal theorists who have attacked the populist ideal and those neo-republican theorists who have given up on it, Richardson builds an account of popular rule that is sensitive to the challenges to public deliberation that arise from relying on liberal constitutional guarantees, representative institutions, majority rule, and administrative rulemaking. Written in a nontechnical style and engaged with practical issues of everyday politics, this highly original and rigorous restatement of what democracy entails is essential reading for political theorists, philosophers, public choice theorists, constitutional and administrative lawyers, and policy analysts.

Crisis at the Polls: An Electoral Reform Handbook

Robert M. Hardaway

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Editorial Review:

If free and fair elections are the heart of our prized democratic system of government, the integrity of our electoral system must be beyond question. Yet all too often, flaws in the administration of our elections have undermined public confidence in the results. This volume is virtually unique in focusing closely on the procedural problems of our electoral system, including those posed by the computerization of voting systems. The author analyzes events in the electoral history of the United States (and, tangentially, of certain other nations) to reveal the particular dynamics of democratic electoral systems that permit purportedly free and fair elections to subvert rather than express the public will. Past electoral crises shedding light on our electoral deficiencies are chronicled in detail, allowing the author to diagnose systemic failures that can, he contends, be remedied in order to strengthen our democratic system. Chapters focus on current laws and procedures regarding voter registration, provisional ballots, absentee ballots, computerized voting systems, and the Electoral College. The author recommends specific reforms in all these areas that will safeguard our democratic heritage and ensure that the voice of the people is heard. The book presents often-complex material in lucid prose, illuminating issues vital to democracy. BLSystematic exploration of election administration BLHistorical and comparative perspective BLChronology BLGlossary BLAnnotated bibliography of print and electronic materials for further study

The Constitution of Deliberative Democracy

Carlos Santiago Nino

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i'ts a wonderful book,and i hope a lot of people read them 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 7 people found this review helpful.

the professor nino was a wonderful theoretic in the all sense of the word.his knowledge about penal law, civil rights,and human rights, becoming his studies in one of the most brilliant works and his influences touch to all the student's and lawyers around the hole world.all my respect and honour to C.S.NINO.

Editorial Review:

What justifies democracy? Carlos Santiago Nino here answers this question with an original theory of democracy that emphasizes its deliberative character. Nino sees democracy as a moral conversation, of value for its capacity to generate an impartial perspective and take into account the interests of all citizens. He shows how constitutional practices can support a deliberative democracy.

Representation from Above: Members of Parliament and Representative Democracy in Sweden

Peter Esaiasson, Soren Holmberg

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Editorial Review:

Focusing upon a Scandinavian parliament, the Swedish parliament, this study examines the features of the political institution. The book aims to further the debate on representative democracy.

Republican Theory in Political Thought: Virtuous or Virtual?

Bill Brugger

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This book provides a thematic examination of republican theory from the Renaissance, through the Enlightenment and the experiences of the early American republic, to contemporary debates. It maps out a republican ideal type according to four themes: popular sovereignty; a view of history which is sensitive to systemic corruption; an insistence on civic virtue; and, following Philip Pettit, a conception of liberty as non-domination. Where possible it contrasts the treatment of those themes with that of liberals and other streams of thought.

Constitutionalism and Democracy: Transitions in the Contemporary World

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Subjects -> Law -> International Law -> General

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The political changes which have occurred in the last three years have been phenomenal--the dissolving of the former Soviet Union, the impending union of Western Europe, and the evolution of democracy in Eastern Europe. What changes have occurred in the legal structure of these countries? How have their constitutions been affected by these developments? Stanley Katz, Douglas Greenberg, and other scholars and politicians from numerous countries discuss in this work the experiences of constitutionalism. Previously, little work has been done in this field, but now Constitutionalism and Democracy represents the range and depth for serious consitutional analysis. Discussing concrete issues such as human rights, nationalism, and pluralism, this volume will be essential in understanding the phenomenon of constitutionalism in various parts of the world.

BEYOND WESTMINSTER CONGRESS: THE NORDIC EXPERIENCE (PARLIAMENTS & LEGISLATURES)

PETER ESAIASSON

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Editorial Review:

n Beyond Westminster and Congress, thirteen scholars characterize parliamentary life and procedures in five Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. Although there are important institutional similarities among the five systemsall have unicameral parliaments that share common roots in the political history of the regionthere are theoretically interesting differences among the five systems as well. These similarities and differences make the Nordic countries particularly interesting subjects for analysis.

The book had its genesis at the Nordic Political Science Association Conference in Oslo in 1993, where several of the contributors met to discuss the possibility of coordinating parliamentary surveys already underway in some of the Nordic countries. The five-nation project Nordic Legislature and Legislators was started shortly thereafter, and members of the research group met on several occasions over the next few years to organize their research. The collaborative nature of this project makes it a particularly valuable contribution to our understanding of how parliaments work.

The book begins by setting the Scandinavian parliaments in their historical and national settings. Part 1 analyzes political representation in the Nordic countries, focusing on the links between representatives and the represented. Part 2 analyzes parliamentary organization, the different roles of committees, parties, and leadership. In part 3, the analysis turns to parliamentary decision making, including the influence of interest groups and the executive. Finally, the authors consider relations between the national parliaments and the larger European setting, including representation in the European Parliament.