polity
Copyright © Adam Przeworski 2018
The right of Adam Przeworski to be identified as Author of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
First published in 2018 by Polity Press
Polity Press
65 Bridge Street
Cambridge CB2 1UR, UK
Polity Press
101 Station Landing, Suite 300
Medford, MA 02155, USA
All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purpose of criticism and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.
ISBN-13: 978-1-5095-2663-5
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Przeworski, Adam, author.
Title: Why bother with elections? / Adam Przeworski.
Description: Cambridge, UK ; Medford, MA, USA : Polity Press, [2018] | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017023458 (print) | LCCN 2017052210 (ebook) | ISBN 9781509526628 (Mobi) | ISBN 9781509526635 (Epub) | ISBN 9781509526598 (hardback) | ISBN 9781509526604 (pbk.)
Subjects: LCSH: Elections. | Politics, Practical. | Political culture. | Representative government and representation.
Classification: LCC JF1001 (ebook) | LCC JF1001 .P78 2018 (print) | DDC 324.6--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017023458
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For further information on Polity, visit our website: politybooks.com
This book is a summary of our current collective understanding of the method by which some societies decide who would govern them and how: elections. While I rely heavily on my own research, I draw extensively on work of others. Because the book is intended to be accessible to the general educated public, I dispose with the usual academic etiquette, which consists of acknowledging the source of every idea and every fact. I decided to provide sources of direct quotes but not to reference the origins of other inspirations. Hence, I owe an apology to those of my colleagues who will recognize themselves as authors of ideas anonymously presented below.
“Collective understanding” does not mean that scholars studying elections agree on everything. I try to report differences of views and beliefs, as well as aspects of elections about which we are not clear, but I am certain that some people will still disagree with some of what follows. Hence, the reader is urged to read this book critically, forming opinions of his or her own.
For comments on earlier drafts I owe gratitude to John Dunn, Roberto Gargarella, Fernando Limongi, Zhaotian Luo, Bernard Manin, Pasquale Pasquino, and Ruben Ruíz-Rufino, as well as to three anonymous reviewers.