Semi-Presidentialism Outside Europe

<p>This is the first academic study of the impact of semi-presidentialism in emerging democracies outside of Europe. </p><p>Semi-presidentialism is where there is both a directly-elected fixed-term president and a prime minister who is responsible to the legislature. For the most part semi-presidentialism is seen as being a risky choice for new democracies because it can create potentially destabilizing competition between the president and prime minister. And yet there are now more than fifty semi-presidential countries in the world. Moreover many of these countries are in Africa the former Soviet Union and Asia often in places where democracy has yet to establish a firm foundation. </p><p>This study begins with a chapter that discusses the advantages and disadvantages of semi-presidentialism and provides the theoretical framework for a wide-ranging series of country chapters presented in the second part of the book. Written by country/area specialists the case studies highlight the political processes at work in young semi-presidential democracies. </p><p><em>Semi-Presidentialism Outside Europe</em> will appeal to those researching and studying in the fields of comparative politics development and democracy.</p>