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Overview"This book is about presidents in parliamentary systems. One commonly recurring political debate within parliamentary systems is over whether or not the public should directly elect the head of state. Despite the importance of this topic in practical politics, political scientists have offered little empirical evidence, yet made bold assumptions about the consequences of popular elections for heads of state. A common argument is that direct elections enhance presidents' legitimacy thereby increasing their activism and encouraging authoritarian tendencies. Another popular assumption is that direct presidential elections are more heavily contested and partisan, polarizing and dividing political elites and the electorate. Proponents of direct elections argue that such elections will help decrease voter alienation and apathy. This book challenges the conventional wisdom. Using both quantitative and qualitative empirical evidence from democratic systems across the world, this book demonstrates that compared to indirect selection methods, direct elections do not yield more active and contentious presidents, do not polarize political elites or society, and do not remedy political apathy. Rather, presidential activism in both ""semi-presidential"" and ""pure parliamentary"" systems is shaped by political opportunity framework - the institutional strength and partisan composition of both parliament and government. Further, because holding the presidency provides parties with an electoral asset, direct and indirect presidential elections can be equally contentious and polarizing. Last, but not least, rather than decreasing apathy, direct election is associated with increased voter fatigue and decreased turnout in parliamentary elections by about seven percentage points." Full Product DetailsAuthor: Margit Tavits (Assistant Professor, Washington University, St. Louis.)Publisher: Oxford University Press Imprint: Oxford University Press Dimensions: Width: 15.60cm , Height: 1.70cm , Length: 23.30cm Weight: 0.585kg ISBN: 9780199553327ISBN 10: 0199553327 Pages: 284 Publication Date: 13 November 2008 Audience: College/higher education , Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly Format: Hardback Publisher's Status: Active Availability: To order  Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us. Table of Contents1. Introduction: Rationale, Questions, Methods ; 2. Direct Elections or Political Opportunities? Explaining Presidential Activism ; 3. The Activism of Indirectly and Directly Elected Presidents ; 4. To Elect or To Select? ; 5. The Nature of Presidential Elections ; 6. Decrease of Political Disillusionment and Apathy? ; 7. ConclusionsReviewsAuthor InformationMargit Tavits is assistant professor in political science at Washington University in St. Louis. She specializes in the comparative politics of institutions, political parties and elections. Her work has appeared in journals such as the American Journal of Political Science, British Journal of Political Science, Comparative Political Studies, European Journal of Political Research and others. Tab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |
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