Media and the Presidentialization of Parliamentary Elections FROM THE PUBLISHER
In theory, parliamentary elections are a contest between political parties whose leaders do not have a separate identity from their party in the public eye. This case study of Britain shows that this theory no longer holds; the dynamics of parliamentary elections have become more 'presidential' in the sense that the leaders of the major parties now figure more prominently on both media coverage of the campaign and in the party that voters choose at the polls. The implications for our understanding of parliamentary democracy are discussed.
Author Biography: Anthony Mughan is Professor of Political Science and Director of the Undergraduate International Studies Program at The Ohio State University.
FROM THE CRITICS
Booknews
British parliamentary elections have become more "presidential" in the sense that the leaders of the major parties now figure more prominently in both media coverage of the campaign and in determining the party that voters choose at the polls. This study maps that trend in both media coverage and electoral impact, examines the electoral importance of the personalities of party leaders, and explores the role of various media and types of political television programming. It also discusses implications of these findings for the practice of parliamentary government and the quality of parliamentary democracy. Mughan teaches political science at The Ohio State University. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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