The story of liberal democracy over the last half century has been a triumphant one in many ways, with the number of democracies increasing from a minority of states to a significant majority. Yet substantial problems afflict democratic states, and while the number of democratic countries has expanded, democratic practice has contracted. This book introduces a novel framework for evaluating the rise and decline of democratic governance. Examining three mature democratic countries – Britain, Australia and New Zealand – the authors discuss patterns of governance from the emergence of mass democracy at the outset of the twentieth century through to its present condition. The shared political cultures and institutional arrangements of the three countries allow the authors to investigate comparatively the dynamics of political evolution and the possibilities for systemic developments and institutional change.

Item Type:	Authored Research Book
Research Division:	Studies in Human Society
Research Group:	Political Science
Research Field:	Comparative Government and Politics
Objective Division:	Law, Politics and Community Services
Objective Group:	Government and Politics
Objective Field:	Political Systems
UTAS Author:	Marsh, I (Professor Ian Marsh)
ID Code:	79378
Year Published:	2012
Deposited By:	Australian Innovation Research Centre
Deposited On:	2012-09-07
Last Modified:	2015-02-16
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