And I previously held positions at the London School of Economics and Political Science and the Center for Global Development. I am a political economist with a PhD in Economics from the University of Bern in Switzerland.

I am your host, Stephan Kyburz, and this is the thirty-third episode of The Rules of the Game podcast. So I am honored and grateful to have the opportunity of welcoming him on the Rules of the Game podcast. Hello and welcome to the Rules of the Game podcast, where it is my job to discuss and compare democratic institutions.Īrend Lijphart is really a giant in the study of democratic systems and institutions, being among the most cited political scientists. He has received numerous awards throughout his career, including the Johan Skytte Prize in Political Science, the Aaron Wildavsky Book Award, and three honorary doctorates. He was elected to serve as president of the American Political Science Association in 1995-96. He is the author and editor of more than a dozen books. Arend’s research focuses on comparative politics, elections and voting systems, institutions, ethnicity and politics, and he is a leading authority on consociationalism. He received his PhD from Yale University in 1963.

I also wanted to know from him whether his conclusions had changed since the first publication of the book in 1999, and we also touch upon recent political events that make consensus models of democracy appear to be the far better choice.Īrend Lijphart is Professor Emeritus at the Political Science Department of UC San Diego. We talk about the stability and functioning of different systems of government and proportional representation in divided societies.

While the book has, of course, received some criticism, it remains a benchmark study of democracy. It teaches a lot about democratic institutions and it greatly increased my own knowledge when I first read it during my studies. The book contrasts majoritarian and consensus models of democracy. With Arend Lijphart I discuss some of the fundamental questions regarding democratic institutions based on his seminal book “Patterns of Democracy: Government Forms and Performance in Thirty-Six Countries”, that he first published in 1999 and then updated in 2012. 42:30 Recommendations by Arend Lijphart.

Patterns of Democracy by Arend Lijphart