Прочие
Производитель Johns Hopkins UP

Описание:
Political parties and elections are the mainsprings of modern democracy. In this classic volume, Richard S. Katz explores the problem of how a given electoral system affects the role of political parties and the way in which party members are elected. He develops and tests a theory of the differences in the cohesion, ideological behavior, and issue orientation of Western parliamentary parties on the basis of the electoral systems under which they compete. A standard in the field of political theory and thought, The Theory of Parties and the Electoral System contributes to a better understanding of parliamentary party structures and demonstrates the wide utility of the rationalistic approach for explaining behavior derived from the self-interest of political actors.

Описание:
Latin America's region-wide 1982 economic collapse had a drastic effect on governments throughout Central and South America, leading many to the verge of failure and pushing several of the most stridently authoritarian - Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Uruguay - over the brink. Surprisingly though, Chile's repressive military dictatorship and Mexico's hegemonic civilian regime endured amid the economic chaos that rocked the region. Dual Transitions from Authoritarian Rule explains why the regimes in these two nations survived the financial upheaval of the early 1980s and how each progressed toward a more open, democratic, market-driven system in later years. Using an in-depth comparative analysis of Chile and Mexico, Francisco Gonzalez explains that the two governments - though quite different ideologically - possessed a common type of institutionalized authoritarian rule that not only served to maintain the political status quo but, paradoxically, also aided proponents of political and economic liberalization.Featuring a discussion of parallel phenomena in Brazil, Hungary, Taiwan, and South Korea, Dual Transitions from Authoritarian Rule presents a cogent challenge to the received wisdom that socio-political and economic change within authoritarian nations must be approached separately. This book will interest scholars of Latin American politics, democratization studies, market reform, and comparative politics and international relations.

Описание:
The vertebrate skeleton is one of nature's most amazing feats. Composed of cartilage and bone, it forms the supportive structure for the remaining aspects of our anatomy. Stripped of skin, we can see the body's fascinating underlying architecture. In this one-of-a-kind book, biologist and skeletal reconstructionist Steve Huskey lays bare the vertebrate skeleton, providing a guided tour of the nuanced differences among the many featured vertebrate species. Using his own skeletal preparations, which the author has spent decades assembling, Huskey helps us understand why animals live the way they do. We see in the venomous snake the jaw and fang structures that allow it to both kill and consume its prey whole. The eastern mole rat is shown to be built like a weightlifter coupled with an earth-mover, as Huskey discusses its habit of swimming through soil. The odd-looking trumpetfish is not built for music but for suction, with a skull that expands to vacuum in its prey. Each page of How Skeletons Work reveals not only the elegance of each skeleton, but also the natural history story the skeleton tells. Come along let's take a voyage through the boneyard.