Introduction

Abstract

An introductory chapter notes that the last 25 years have exhibited both an unprecedented increase in democracies around the world & growing dissatisfaction with them. The decline in confidence in government throughout North America, Europe, & Japan is accompanied by an erosion of partisan attachments. The attachment to political parties is even weaker in the developing "third wave" democracies of Asia, Latin America, Africa, & the postcommunist world, where the legitimacy of democracy is not as deeply rooted. Various explanations for this decline are examined. The essays in this volume focus on the roles that parties play in contemporary democracies, & whether they are living up to citizens' expectations & fulfilling the functional demands implicit in the concept of representative democracy. The urgent need to understand how parties are evolving & changing is discussed. The essays are organized in four sections that address theoretical/historical perspectives; parties/party systems after reform; developing & postcommunist party systems; & challenges facing contemporary parties. J. Lindroth