The History of Parliamentary Behavior

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, Soren 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.