Democracy and Redistribution / Edition 1

by Carles Boix

Overview

Employing analytical tools borrowed from game theory, Carles Boix offers a complete theory of political transitions. It is one in which political regimes ultimately depend on the nature of economic assets, their distribution among individuals, and the balance of power among different social groups. Backed by detailed historical research and extensive statistical analysis from the mid-nineteenth century, the study reveals why democracy emerged in classical Athens. It also covers the early triumph of democracy in nineteenth-century agrarian Norway, Switzerland and northeastern America as well as its failure in countries with a powerful landowning class.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521532679
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	07/21/2003
Series:	Cambridge Studies in Comparative Politics
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	284
Product dimensions:	6.02(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.67(d)

Table of Contents

Introduction; 1. A theory of political transitions; 2. Empirical evidence; 3. Historical evidence; 4. Theoretical extensions: a. Growth, trade, and democracy; b. Political institutions; 5. Democracy and the public sector; 6. The state, the threat of expropriation, and the possibility of development; 7. Conclusions.

Editorial Reviews

"...sweeping in its thematic scope. All should be stimulated by the theoretical debate. Recommended." C.H. Blake, James Madison University, CHOICE

"Anyone interested in the origins of democracy or in contemporary political economy will need to read this important work." Nicolas van de Walle, Cornell University

From the Publisher