In this fascinating exploration of democracy, Reynolds assembles prominent scholars to discuss the successes and failures of constitutional design. Chapters analyze the effects of presidential and parliamentary systems, issues of federalism and autonomy, and the varying impact of electoral systems, concluding with notable case studies of Fiji, Ireland, Eritrea, Indonesia, Nigeria, and India. The culmination of the study of constitutional engineering in the third wave of democracy, this important work sets parameters for crucial research as democracy diffuses across the world.

"This volume addresses a critical issue: The potential relationship between political institutions and conflict management in divided societies. It contains several "must read" theoretical chapters, as well as helpful case studies."--apsanet.org

Part I: Institutional Design in Divided Societies: An Overview

Introduction Institutional Design, Conflict Management, and Democracy in Divided Societies, Katharine Belmont, Scott Mainwaring, and Andrew Reynolds

1. 1. Constitutional Design and the Problem of adoption: Proposals versus Processes, Donald L. Horowitz

2. The Wave of Power Sharing Democracy, Arend Lijphart

3. Institutions and Coalition-Building in Post-Communist Transitions, Olga Shvetsova

Part II: Presidentialism, Federalism and Decentralization, and Electoral Systems.

4. Presidents, Parliaments and Democracy: Insights from the Post-Communist World, Timothy Frye

5. Presidentialism and Democratic Performance, Jose Antonio Cheibub

6. Constitutional asymmetries: Communal Representation, Federalism, and Cultural Autonomy, Yash Ghai

7. Federalism and State-Building: Post-Communist and Post-Colonial Perspectives, Steven L. Solnick

8. Ballots not Bullets: Testing Consociational Theories of Ethnic Conflict, Electoral Systems and Democratization, Pippa Norris

9. Designing Electoral Rules and Waiting for an Electoral System to Evolve, Rein Taagepera

Part III: Country Studies

10. 10. Constitutional Engineering in Fiji, Brij V. Lal

11. The British-Irish Agreement of 1998: Results and Prospects, Brendan O'Leary

12. The Eritrean Experience in Constitution Making: The Dialectic of Process and Substance, Bereket Habte Selassie

13. Indonesia's Democratic Transition: Playing By the Rules, R. William Liddle

14. Institutional Design, Ethnic Conflict Management, and Democracy in Nigeria, Rotimi Subu and Larry Diamond

15. India, David Stuligross and Ashutosh Varshney