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The 1992 Papua New Guinea election: Change and continuity in electoral politics
Book Notes
131
Scott Mainwaring and Thimoty R Scully (editors), Building Democratic Institutions: Party Systems in Latin America, (Stanford University Press, Stanford, 1995), xix + 578 pp. In introductory and concluding chapters the editors present a theoretical framework for a comparative study of parties and party systems in Latin America. A key concept in this framework is the 'institutionalization' of the parties in a country's political system. The comparative themes are followed up in 12 country chapters. In the concluding chapter, the analytic perspective is shifted. Whilst parties and party systems are seen as 'independent variables' in the introductory chapter, they are now seen as 'dependent variables' which are shaped by new social developments. Dieter Nohlen, Elections and Electoral Systems, (Published for Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Bonn by Macmillan India Ltd, Delhi, 2nd ed., 1996), xii + 142 pp. Dieter Nohlen, Electoral System: Options for Pakistan, (Pakistan Office of the German Friedrich EbertStiftung, Islamabad, 1995), xvii + 97 pp. Elections and Electoral System provides an introductory overview of existing electoral systems, especially various forms of proportional methods. In his book on the election system in Pakistan, Nohlen proposes a modified version of the German 'mixed-member' system which would include single member constituencies as well as additional seats to be distributed proportionally to regional party lists, without aiming to generate overall proportionality. Philip Norton (editor), The Conservative Party, (Prentice Hall/Harvester Wheatsheaf, London, 1996), viii + 264 pp. The editor notes in the Preface that relatively few books have been written about the Conservative Party which provide 'a rounded overview of its history, beliefs, organisation, support and policies'. Now, this is indeed offered in the present book, so the editor and his six collaborators may well be said to have tilled that gap in the literature. The first part is devoted to the history of the party and also includes two chapters which analyse the philosophy and ideological strands within the party. The second part provides information about the party in the country, the party in the parliament, party finance and electoral support. The essays in the third part are concerned with broad policy areas. In a Conclusion the editor discusses the Conservatives' prospects as a party of government. Eduardo Posada-Carb6 (editor), Elections Before Democracy: The History of Elections in Europe and Latin America, (Macmillan, London, 1996), x + 285 pp. Democracy requires competitive elections, but elections for parliaments were held long before democracy was established, although they were often events that could hardly be described as free and fair. This volume presents studies of elections in the 19th and the first decades of this century in a number of countries where elections were held in a more or less non-democratic context. Most of the chapters are concerned with Latin American cases but there are also chapters on European countries (England, Germany, Ireland and Spain). All the chapters provide insights into the ways in which elections were manipulated by money, government and church--yet there is also plenty of evidence that even under these circumstances elections could evoke considerable public interest. Yaw Saffu (editor). The 1992 Papua New Guinea Election: Change and Continuity in Electoral Politics, (Department of Political and Social Change, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University, Canberra, 1996), xii + 409 pp. The 1992 election was the fourth of the post-independence elections (the first one being held in 1977). A picture of a troubled electoral history as well as a troubled form of parliamentary government emerges from the analyses and descriptions in this book. Electoral politics is primarily a matter of personal influence and kinship or clanship ties, accompanied by fraud and corruption and tainted by violence. Yet it is not exclusively so, as Saffu wants to stress; change is slow but not entirely absent and the level of violence in the 1992 election was at least lower than expected. The introductory chapters of the book present the historical and systemic framework. Part of the analysis is based on a candidate survey undertaken at the 1992 election. The subsequent series of chapters analyse the election in various regions.
131
Scott Mainwaring and Thimoty R Scully (editors), Building Democratic Institutions: Party Systems in Latin America, (Stanford University Press, Stanford, 1995), xix + 578 pp. In introductory and concluding chapters the editors present a theoretical framework for a comparative study of parties and party systems in Latin America. A key concept in this framework is the 'institutionalization' of the parties in a country's political system. The comparative themes are followed up in 12 country chapters. In the concluding chapter, the analytic perspective is shifted. Whilst parties and party systems are seen as 'independent variables' in the introductory chapter, they are now seen as 'dependent variables' which are shaped by new social developments. Dieter Nohlen, Elections and Electoral Systems, (Published for Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Bonn by Macmillan India Ltd, Delhi, 2nd ed., 1996), xii + 142 pp. Dieter Nohlen, Electoral System: Options for Pakistan, (Pakistan Office of the German Friedrich EbertStiftung, Islamabad, 1995), xvii + 97 pp. Elections and Electoral System provides an introductory overview of existing electoral systems, especially various forms of proportional methods. In his book on the election system in Pakistan, Nohlen proposes a modified version of the German 'mixed-member' system which would include single member constituencies as well as additional seats to be distributed proportionally to regional party lists, without aiming to generate overall proportionality. Philip Norton (editor), The Conservative Party, (Prentice Hall/Harvester Wheatsheaf, London, 1996), viii + 264 pp. The editor notes in the Preface that relatively few books have been written about the Conservative Party which provide 'a rounded overview of its history, beliefs, organisation, support and policies'. Now, this is indeed offered in the present book, so the editor and his six collaborators may well be said to have tilled that gap in the literature. The first part is devoted to the history of the party and also includes two chapters which analyse the philosophy and ideological strands within the party. The second part provides information about the party in the country, the party in the parliament, party finance and electoral support. The essays in the third part are concerned with broad policy areas. In a Conclusion the editor discusses the Conservatives' prospects as a party of government. Eduardo Posada-Carb6 (editor), Elections Before Democracy: The History of Elections in Europe and Latin America, (Macmillan, London, 1996), x + 285 pp. Democracy requires competitive elections, but elections for parliaments were held long before democracy was established, although they were often events that could hardly be described as free and fair. This volume presents studies of elections in the 19th and the first decades of this century in a number of countries where elections were held in a more or less non-democratic context. Most of the chapters are concerned with Latin American cases but there are also chapters on European countries (England, Germany, Ireland and Spain). All the chapters provide insights into the ways in which elections were manipulated by money, government and church--yet there is also plenty of evidence that even under these circumstances elections could evoke considerable public interest. Yaw Saffu (editor). The 1992 Papua New Guinea Election: Change and Continuity in Electoral Politics, (Department of Political and Social Change, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University, Canberra, 1996), xii + 409 pp. The 1992 election was the fourth of the post-independence elections (the first one being held in 1977). A picture of a troubled electoral history as well as a troubled form of parliamentary government emerges from the analyses and descriptions in this book. Electoral politics is primarily a matter of personal influence and kinship or clanship ties, accompanied by fraud and corruption and tainted by violence. Yet it is not exclusively so, as Saffu wants to stress; change is slow but not entirely absent and the level of violence in the 1992 election was at least lower than expected. The introductory chapters of the book present the historical and systemic framework. Part of the analysis is based on a candidate survey undertaken at the 1992 election. The subsequent series of chapters analyse the election in various regions.