1st Edition

Semi-Presidentialism Outside Europe A Comparative Study

Edited By Robert Elgie, Sophia Moestrup Copyright 2007
    278 Pages 1 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    288 Pages 1 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    This is the first academic study of the impact of semi-presidentialism in emerging democracies outside of Europe.

    Semi-presidentialism is where there is both a directly-elected fixed-term president and a prime minister who is responsible to the legislature. For the most part, semi-presidentialism is seen as being a risky choice for new democracies because it can create potentially destabilizing competition between the president and prime minister. And yet, there are now more than fifty semi-presidential countries in the world. Moreover, many of these countries are in Africa, the former Soviet Union and Asia, often in places where democracy has yet to establish a firm foundation.

    This study begins with a chapter that discusses the advantages and disadvantages of semi-presidentialism and provides the theoretical framework for a wide-ranging series of country chapters presented in the second part of the book. Written by country/area specialists, the case studies highlight the political processes at work in young semi-presidential democracies.

    Semi-Presidentialism Outside Europe will appeal to those researching and studying in the fields of comparative politics, development and democracy.

    Chapter 1 Robert Elgie, What Is Semi-Presidentialism And Where Is It Found?
    Chapter 2 Gianfranco Pasquino, The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Semi-Presidentialism: A West European Perspective
    Chapter 3 Sophia Moestrup, Semi-Presidentialism In Young Democracies – Help Or Hindrance?
    Chapter 4 François Frison-Roche, Semi-Presidentialism In A Post-Communist Context
    Chapter 5 Gérard Conac, Semi-Presidentialism In A Francophone Context
    Chapter 6 Charles Cadoux, Semi-Presidentialism In Madagascar
    Chapter 7 Sophia Moestrup, Semi-Presidentialism In Niger: Gridlock And Democratic Breakdown - Learning From Past Mistakes
    Chapter 8 Carrie Manning, Semi-Presidentialism And The Preservation Of Ambiguity In Post-War Mozambique
    Chapter 9 Elisabete Azevedo and Lia Nijzink, Semi-Presidentialism In Guinea Bissau: The Lesser Of Two Evils?
    Chapter 10 Eugene Huskey, Eurasian Semi-Presidentialism: The Development Of Kyrgyzstan’s Model Of Government
    Chapter 11 Sophia Moestrup and Gombosurengiin Ganzorig, Semi-Presidentialism In Mongolia: Trade-Offs Between Stability And Governance
    Chapter 12 Yu-Shan Wu, Semi-Presidentialism—Easy To Choose, Difficult To Operate: The Case Of Taiwan
    Chapter 13 Dennis Shoesmith, Timor-Leste: Semi-Presidentialism And The Democratic Transition In A New, Small State
    Chapter 14 Sophia Moestrup, The Choice Of Semi-Presidentialism And Its Consequences

    Biography

    Robert Elgie, Sophia Moestrup