Political parties and democratic linkage : how parties organize democracy / Russell J. Dalton, David M. Farrell, and Ian McAllister.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Parties and representative government -- Parties and election campaigns -- Parties and electoral institutions -- Party mobilization and campaign participation -- Electoral Choice -- Citizens and their policy preferences -- Party images and party linkage -- Voter choice and partisan representation -- Parties in government -- Government formation and democratic representation -- Party policies and policy outputs -- Party evolution.

This volume examines how political parties ensure the functioning of the democratic process in contemporary societies. Based on unprecedented cross-national data, the authors find that the process of party government is still alive and well in most contemporary democracies.