Dirk Berg-Schlosser Book order

Problems of democratization, its successes, failures and future prospects, belong to the most pressing concerns of our times. Empirical democratic theory has received many new impulses since the last „wave“ of democratization in Latin America, Eastern Europe, Africa and Southeast and East Asia. In this volume the „state of the art“ in this respect is discussed by leading international experts in this field including Laurence Whitehead, Gerardo Munck, Axel Hadenius and Juan Linz. It is based on the work and a series of panels and conferences organized by the Research Committee on „Democratization in Comparative Perspective“ of the International Political Science Association (IPSA) since its foundation in 1988 by Tatu Vanhanen and Dirk Berg-Schlosser. The concepts and findings presented are of high relevance both for political science and practical politics.

Aspects of political culture, i.e. concerns with the 'subjective' dimension of politics including dominant political orientations, perceptions and interpretations, always have been particularly relevant with regard to the case of Germany and its great variety of political regimes during the last century. This is true both with regard to political science and practical politics. This volume provides a comprehensive overview concerning the major historical legacies, regional and sub-cultural variations, and current problems of democratic orientations, national identity and relationships to the outside world.