Offers a unique perspective on polarization, a fertile field for investigation and debates among scholars concerning contemporary American problems as well as historical controversies, with plenty of teaching moments for students. The book is free of jargon and is written in a way that should be accessible to a wide range of readers. Josep Colomer is an accomplished scholar in political science, an original thinker with deep knowledge of political history, especially European history. His scholarship combines the best of formal theory and comparative empirical analysis. He is an expert on the development and functioning of political institutions. The issue of political polarization is of growing interest and widely taught.

This is a clear, comprehensive and authoritative introduction to the institutional regimes of countries in Western Europe written by an outstanding group of political scientists. Completely revised and updated throughout, Comparative European Politics 3rd edition:

• provides a complete coverage of individual countries or group of countries, as well as to the European Union allowing readers to draw sophisticated comparisons between countries
• is written to a common template so that each chapter explores political parties, elections and electoral rules, parliaments, local, regional and state governments, and the relations between domestic institutions and the European Union.

Personal representation is an essential element to achieve a high quality of democracy. Many studies of electoral systems, by focusing on the allocation of seats to parties, have neglected the study of this essential dimension. In democratic countries a huge variety of ballot forms and rules exist to vote for individual candidates and to allocate seats to persons. This book studies different voting procedures and formulas for personal representation, their origins and consequences, their compatibility with party representation and the strategies and normative criteria for electoral system choice. This book provides: - a ground-breaking study of voting procedures and formulas ballot forms and rules to allocate seats to persons; - a discussion on the relationship between party representation and personal representation; - new empirical data on voting forms; - an innovative classification of electoral systems; - reproductions of ballots from different countries; - comparative and single-case studies of different rules for candidate selection and for voting for individual candidates.

This book reviews bureau-type organizations delivering network goods, documenting how most global institutions greatly improved their effectiveness during the last few decades. In the current globalized world, the design and choice of appropriate institutional rules and procedures can result in effective and democratic global government.

Offers a unique perspective on polarization, a fertile field for investigation and debates among scholars concerning contemporary American problems as well as historical controversies, with plenty of teaching moments for students. The book is free of jargon and is written in a way that should be accessible to a wide range of readers. Josep Colomer is an accomplished scholar in political science, an original thinker with deep knowledge of political history, especially European history. His scholarship combines the best of formal theory and comparative empirical analysis. He is an expert on the development and functioning of political institutions. The issue of political polarization is of growing interest and widely taught.

As democracy is disrupted by globalization, the solution is to globalize democracy. This book explores the causes of the current crisis of democracy and advocates new ways for more representative, effective, and accountable governance in an interdependent world. Part 1 analyzes the split of the middle class and the subsequent political polarization which underlies people's dissatisfaction with the way democracy works in developed countries. It also addresses the role of political emotions, including disappointments about unmet expectations, anger incited from opposition candidates, fear induced from government, and hope wrapping up new proposals for reform and change. In Part 2, the authors argue that a more effective governance would require reallocations of power at local, national, continental and global levels with innovative combinations of direct democracy, representative government, and rule by experts. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of political science, comparative politics, international relations, political economy and democratic theory, as well as general readers interested in politics and current events.

As democracy is disrupted by globalization, the solution is to globalize democracy. This book explores the causes of the current crisis of democracy and advocates new ways for more representative, effective, and accountable governance in an interdependent world. Part 1 analyzes the split of the middle class and the subsequent political polarization which underlies people's dissatisfaction with the way democracy works in developed countries. It also addresses the role of political emotions, including disappointments about unmet expectations, anger incited from opposition candidates, fear induced from government, and hope wrapping up new proposals for reform and change. In Part 2, the authors argue that a more effective governance would require reallocations of power at local, national, continental and global levels with innovative combinations of direct democracy, representative government, and rule by experts. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of political science, comparative politics, international relations, political economy and democratic theory, as well as general readers interested in politics and current events.

This is a clear, comprehensive and authoritative introduction to the institutional regimes of countries in Western Europe written by an outstanding group of political scientists. Completely revised and updated throughout, Comparative European Politics 3rd edition

• provides a complete coverage of individual countries or group of countries, as well as to the European Union allowing readers to draw sophisticated comparisons between countries
• is written to a common template so that each chapter explores political parties, elections and electoral rules, parliaments, local, regional and state governments, and the relations between domestic institutions and the European Union.

This book reviews bureau-type organizations delivering network goods, documenting how most global institutions greatly improved their effectiveness during the last few decades. In the current globalized world, the design and choice of appropriate institutional rules and procedures can result in effective and democratic global government.

This ambitious and ground-breaking book provides a broad-ranging and engaging introduction to the application of social choice theory to real world political institutions

Personal representation is an essential element to achieve a high quality of democracy. Many studies of electoral systems, by focusing on the allocation of seats to parties, have neglected the study of this essential dimension. In democratic countries a huge variety of ballot forms and rules exist to vote for individual candidates and to allocate seats to persons. This book studies different voting procedures and formulas for personal representation, their origins and consequences, their compatibility with party representation and the strategies and normative criteria for electoral system choice. This book provides: - a ground-breaking study of voting procedures and formulas ballot forms and rules to allocate seats to persons; - a discussion on the relationship between party representation and personal representation; - new empirical data on voting forms; - an innovative classification of electoral systems; - reproductions of ballots from different countries; - comparative and single-case studies of different rules for candidate selection and for voting for individual candidates.

A broad, accessible, and rigorous overview of politics, The Science of Politics: An Introduction introduces students to the most substantive and important issues in the field.
Josep M. Colomer takes a unique approach to the study of politics, addressing it from two points of departure: as a fundamental human activity to pursue the common interests of the members of a community (i.e., the "public good") and as the subject of systematic and reliable knowledge (i.e., science). This method helps to bridge a persistent gap between developments in research and actual teaching in the discipline. It provides students with the best possible foundation to build upon as they move into more advanced study in the field.
FEATURES
* Presents thirty principles that have been established through research over the years
* Gives students the methodological tools to explore, study, and understand questions and issues that they may encounter
* Discusses a variety of key issues including action, representation, government, and policy
* Incorporates a number of pedagogical devices including summaries, key concepts, review questions, problems and applications, comparative case studies, and special features explaining classic research contributions