Beyond Presidentialism and Parliamentarism: Democratic Design and the Separation of Powers

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Prof Steffen Ganghof (Professor of Comparative Politics, University of Potsdam, Professor of Comparative Politics, University of Potsdam, University of Potsdam) Prof Steffen Ganghof (Professor of Comparative Politics, University of Potsdam, Professor of Comparative Politics, University of Potsdam, University of Potsdam)

Beyond Presidentialism and Parliamentarism

Democratic Design and the Separation of Powers

Prof Steffen Ganghof (Professor of Comparative Politics, University of Potsdam, Professor of Comparative Politics, University of Potsdam, University of Potsdam), Prof Steffen Ganghof (Professor of Comparative Politics, University of Potsdam, Professor of Comparative Politics, University of Potsdam, University of Potsdam)

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English

Oxford University Press
17 October 2024

Comparative politics; Political structure & processes

This is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International licence. It is free to read at Oxford Scholarship Online and offered as a free PDF download from OUP and selected open access locations.

In a democracy, a constitutional separation of powers between the executive and the assembly may be desirable, but the constitutional concentration of executive power in a single human being is not. Beyond Presidentialism and Parliamentarism defends this thesis and explores 'semi-parliamentary government' as an alternative to presidential government. Semi-parliamentarism avoids power concentration in one person by shifting the separation of powers into the democratic assembly. The executive becomes fused with only one part of the assembly, even though the other part has at least equal democratic legitimacy and robust veto power on ordinary legislation.

The book identifies the Australian Commonwealth and Japan as well as the Australian states of New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, and Western Australia as semi-parliamentary systems. Using data from 23 countries and six Australian states, it maps how parliamentary and semi-parliamentary systems balance competing visions of democracy; it analyzes patterns of electoral and party systems, cabinet formation, legislative coalition-building, and constitutional reforms; systematically compares the semi-parliamentary and presidential separation of powers; and develops new and innovative semi-parliamentary designs, some of which do not require two separate chambers.

By: Prof Steffen Ganghof (Professor of Comparative Politics University of Potsdam Professor of Comparative Politics University of Potsdam University of Potsdam), Prof Steffen Ganghof (Professor of Comparative Politics, University of Potsdam, Professor of Comparative Politics, University of Potsdam, University of Potsdam)
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 235mm, Width: 157mm, Spine: 14mm
Weight: 330g
ISBN: 9780198947165
ISBN 10: 019894716X
Pages: 224
Publication Date: 17 October 2024
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Steffen Ganghof is Professor of Comparative Politics, University of Potsdam. His research concentrates on political institutions and democratic theory. In addition to many articles and chapters, he has authored or co-edited four books in German and he is the author of The Politics of Income Taxation: A Comparative Analysis (ECPR Press, 2006).

Reviews for Beyond Presidentialism and Parliamentarism: Democratic Design and the Separation of Powers

This is the most exciting new approach to comparative democratic institutional theory in decades.' * Matthew S. Shugart, University of California, Davis * Steffen Ganghof has produced a truly thought-provoking book. He has raised again the discussion of which regime form should be preferable in a democracy. * José Cheibub, Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Political Science at the University of Pittsburgh * Steffen Ganghof has produced the most interesting contribution to the comparative study of political institutions for many years. * Michael Thies, University of California, Los Angeles * Steffen Ganghof's insightful and inspiring new book invites not only scholars of comparative government, but also political theorists and citizens to use their imagination and think beyond existing institutional orders * Claudia Landwehr, University of Mainz * Ganghof's defense of semi-parliamentarism admirably remedies the disconnect between the evaluation of democratic institutions by comparative politics scholars, on one hand, and by normative democratic theorists, on the other. * James L. Wilson, University of Chicago *