Responsible Parties

Frances McCall Rosenbluth (1958–2021) was the Damon Wells Professor of Political Science and Ian Shapiro is Sterling Professor of Political Science, both at Yale University.

“Other political parties across the Western world have, in the past few years, experienced hostile takeovers of their own . . . Responsible Parties is one of the first books to give serious attention to the political effects of this transformation.”—Yascha Mounk, New Yorker“A trenchant and fiercely argued diagnosis of the growing pathology of representative democracy.”—John Dunn, Emeritus Professor of Political Theory and Fellow of King's College, Cambridge"Democracies that serve majorities over the long run require strong, cohesive legislative parties. Full stop. In their brilliant analysis of party systems across post-industrial democracies—steeped in the latest scholarship, animated by dramatic stories, and made urgent by the dangerous flowering of extremist parties and demagogues—Rosenbluth and Shapiro serve as expert, impassioned guides to why we must have strong parties and why, in efforts to be more representative, parties everywhere are failing democracy."—Nancy Rosenblum, Senator Joseph S. Clark Research Professor of Ethics in Politics and Government, Harvard University"One of the best books in many years on comparative democratic politics . . . compelling, courageous, and unconventional . . . A must read for anyone interested in how to restore the vitality of our democratic institutions and politics."—Richard H. Pildes, Sudler Family Professor of Constitutional Law, NYU School of Law