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Author:   Cynthia McClintock (Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, George Washington University)
Publisher:   Oxford University Press Inc
Imprint:   Oxford University Press Inc
Dimensions:   Width: 23.60cm , Height: 2.30cm , Length: 16.30cm
Weight:   0.618kg
ISBN:  

9780190879754

ISBN 10:   0190879750
Pages:   334
Publication Date:   10 May 2018
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments Chapter One: Introduction Chapter Two: Research Design and Quantitative Analysis Chapter Three: Why Was Runoff Superior? Theory and Cross-National Evidence Chapter Four: Plurality: Problems in Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, and Venezuela (and the Panama Exception) Chapter Five: Runoff: Success in Brazil, Chile, The Dominican Republic, El Salvador, and Uruguay Chapter Six: Runoff Amid a Plethora of Political Parties: Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Peru Chapter Seven: Runoff: Is a Reduced Threshold Better? Argentina and Costa Rica Chapter Eight: Conclusion and the Future of Presidential-Election Rules Appendices Notes Bibliography Index

Reviews

Complete with seven appendixes, extensive notes, and a thorough bibliography, the work is essential for academic libraries with extensive Latin American holdings. -- J. A. Rhodes, CHOICE This is a very important and highly original contribution to the literature on presidentialism and electoral institutions, by a distinguished scholar of Latin American politics. Questioning prevailing academic wisdom, and systematically weighing the evidence from Latin America with multiple methods, Cynthia McClintock shows that runoff election rules are clearly superior to the plurality system for electing presidents. Runoff elections do in fact produce what could be logically predicted: more legitimate and ideologically moderate presidents, and a higher quality and vitality of democracy. This powerful finding should significantly shape not only academic analysis but also future thinking about institutional design and reform. -Larry Diamond, Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution and the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University This book makes an important, compelling argument: Latin America's democracies have benefitted from shifting toward electing their president employing run-off elections if no candidate initially receives a majority, instead of relying on single-round plurality elections. The author carefully explains why, relying on a judicious combination of methods, including statistical analysis, interviews and comparative case material, without ignoring the potential negative implications and trade-offs inherent in all electoral rules. -Jonathan Hartlyn6R, K. J. Reckford Professor of Political Science, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill McClintock's impressive book is the product of many years of scrupulous research and careful analysis. Drawing on vast empirical evidence in Latin America and challenging much conventional thinking, she cogently argues that a runoff is superior to a plurality rule in presidential elections. Her findings have important implications for the quality and legitimacy of democracy in Latin America and more widely. McClintock's valuable contribution will influence current debates among scholars and policymakers about the merits of electoral systems. -6BMichael Shifter, President, Inter-American Dialogue In this exhaustively researched and well-written book, Cynthia McClintock argues persuasively that the ways that presidents are elected in Latin America--whether by a plurality of votes or in a run-off--deeply impacts regime legitimacy, moderation, and the inclusiveness of party systems. Her broadly comparative and empirical study offers fresh insight into the ways that electoral design enhances or impedes democratic outcomes. -Cynthia Arnson, Director, Latin American Program, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars In this richly documented study, McClintock finds that democracies where presidential candidates need only a plurality of the vote to triumph are in serious danger of losing their popular legitimacy and eventually falling victim to tyranny. - Richard Feinberg, Foreign Affairs An excellent addition to our overall understanding of democratization and democratic decline in Latin America. -Leslie E. Anderson, Perspectives on Politics

In this richly documented study, McClintock finds that democracies where presidential candidates need only a plurality of the vote to triumph are in serious danger of losing their popular legitimacy and eventually falling victim to tyranny. * Richard Feinberg, Foreign Affairs *

"""Complete with seven appendixes, extensive notes, and a thorough bibliography, the work is essential for academic libraries with extensive Latin American holdings."" -- J. A. Rhodes, CHOICE ""This is a very important and highly original contribution to the literature on presidentialism and electoral institutions, by a distinguished scholar of Latin American politics. Questioning prevailing academic wisdom, and systematically weighing the evidence from Latin America with multiple methods, Cynthia McClintock shows that runoff election rules are clearly superior to the plurality system for electing presidents. Runoff elections do in fact produce what could be logically predicted: more legitimate and ideologically moderate presidents, and a higher quality and vitality of democracy. This powerful finding should significantly shape not only academic analysis but also future thinking about institutional design and reform.""-Larry Diamond, Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution and the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University ""This book makes an important, compelling argument: Latin America's democracies have benefitted from shifting toward electing their president employing run-off elections if no candidate initially receives a majority, instead of relying on single-round plurality elections. The author carefully explains why, relying on a judicious combination of methods, including statistical analysis, interviews and comparative case material, without ignoring the potential negative implications and trade-offs inherent in all electoral rules.""-Jonathan Hartlyn6R, K. J. Reckford Professor of Political Science, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ""McClintock's impressive book is the product of many years of scrupulous research and careful analysis. Drawing on vast empirical evidence in Latin America and challenging much conventional thinking, she cogently argues that a runoff is superior to a plurality rule in presidential elections. Her findings have important implications for the quality and legitimacy of democracy in Latin America and more widely. McClintock's valuable contribution will influence current debates among scholars and policymakers about the merits of electoral systems.""-6BMichael Shifter, President, Inter-American Dialogue ""In this exhaustively researched and well-written book, Cynthia McClintock argues persuasively that the ways that presidents are elected in Latin America--whether by a plurality of votes or in a run-off--deeply impacts regime legitimacy, moderation, and the inclusiveness of party systems. Her broadly comparative and empirical study offers fresh insight into the ways that electoral design enhances or impedes democratic outcomes.""-Cynthia Arnson, Director, Latin American Program, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars ""In this richly documented study, McClintock finds that democracies where presidential candidates need only a plurality of the vote to triumph are in serious danger of losing their popular legitimacy and eventually falling victim to tyranny."" - Richard Feinberg, Foreign Affairs ""An excellent addition to our overall understanding of democratization and democratic decline in Latin America.""-Leslie E. Anderson, Perspectives on Politics"

This is a very important and highly original contribution to the literature on presidentialism and electoral institutions, by a distinguished scholar of Latin American politics. Questioning prevailing academic wisdom, and systematically weighing the evidence from Latin America with multiple methods, Cynthia McClintock shows that runoff election rules are clearly superior to the plurality system for electing presidents. Runoff elections do in fact produce what could be logically predicted: more legitimate and ideologically moderate presidents, and a higher quality and vitality of democracy. This powerful finding should significantly shape not only academic analysis but also future thinking about institutional design and reform. -Larry Diamond, Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution and the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University This book makes an important, compelling argument: Latin America's democracies have benefitted from shifting toward electing their president employing run-off elections if no candidate initially receives a majority, instead of relying on single-round plurality elections. The author carefully explains why, relying on a judicious combination of methods, including statistical analysis, interviews and comparative case material, without ignoring the potential negative implications and trade-offs inherent in all electoral rules. -Jonathan Hartlyn6R, K. J. Reckford Professor of Political Science, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill McClintock's impressive book is the product of many years of scrupulous research and careful analysis. Drawing on vast empirical evidence in Latin America and challenging much conventional thinking, she cogently argues that a runoff is superior to a plurality rule in presidential elections. Her findings have important implications for the quality and legitimacy of democracy in Latin America and more widely. McClintock's valuable contribution will influence current debates among scholars and policymakers about the merits of electoral systems. -6BMichael Shifter, President, Inter-American Dialogue In this exhaustively researched and well-written book, Cynthia McClintock argues persuasively that the ways that presidents are elected in Latin America--whether by a plurality of votes or in a run-off--deeply impacts regime legitimacy, moderation, and the inclusiveness of party systems. Her broadly comparative and empirical study offers fresh insight into the ways that electoral design enhances or impedes democratic outcomes. -Cynthia Arnson, Director, Latin American Program, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

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Cynthia McClintock is Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University.

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