In this volume thirteen American and European scholars show how a
variety of mathematical tools may be used to attack major questions in
the history of parliamentary behavior. Their essays treat key topics
related to the varied but comparable circumstances of seven countries.
These topics include: recruitment and career patterns; actions and
decisions of legislators as revealed by their roll call votes; and
hypotheses that might help explain legislative behavior.
Historians have long been interested in the study of parliaments, but
the recent application of quantitative techniques has made possible the
effective use of data too voluminous to be comprehended by traditional
methods. These techniques have also permitted a more precise and
searching examination of certain controversial questions. These essays
provide a new measure of and challenge to long accepted views regarding
the operation of parliaments.
Contributors: William O. Aydelotte, Aage R. Clausen, Gudmund Hernes,
Sören Holmberg, Geoffrey Hosking, Anthony King, Donald R. Matthews,
Mogens N. Pedersen, Douglas Price, Antoine Prost, Christian Rosenzveig,
Peter H. Smith, and James A. Stimson.
Originally published in 1977.
The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand
technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from
the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions
preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting
them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the
Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich
scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by
Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
