Book reviews

Realism, Idealism and International Politics: A Reinterpretation

By M. Griffiths, Routledge: London, 1992, 206pp(hbk), £35.00

International Conflict Resolution: The US‐USSR and Middle East Cases

By Louis Kriesberg, Yale University Press: 1992.

Deterring Democracy

By Noam Chomsky, Vintage Press, 1992, 439pp £7.99(pbk) ISBN 0–09–913501–9.

Arab Military Industry: Capability, Performance, and Impact

By Yezid Sayigh. Brassey's, London, £38.00/$49.50. ISBN 0–08–041777–9.

The Velvet Revolution: Czechoslovakia 1988–91

By Bernard Wheaton and Zdenek Kavan, Westview Press, 1992.

Peace Without Hiroshima: Secret Action at the Vatican in the Spring of 1945

By Martin S. Quigley. Madison Books: Lanham, Maryland, 1991. 169pp.

Historical Discord in the Nile Valley

By Gabriel R. Warburg, London: Hurst & Company Ltd, 1992, £27.50.

To Loose the Bands of Wickedness: International Intervention in Defence of Human Rights

Nigel Rodley (Ed). Brassey's (UK), 1992. 287pp(HBk). ISBN l‐85753‐()47‐().     

The Continued Relevance of Local Parties in Representative Democracies

This article assesses the value of local parties. It asks why political parties value their local sections. It also considers the ways in which local parties can benefit society. Local parties act as a democratic training ground for party members, are a conduit for political communication and provide parties with a range of resources. They also act as problem solving agencies; they ensure that policy is responsive to local needs; they provide an additional channel of communication and accountability; and they link citizens with the state. The article ends with an appeal to party scholars to refocus their attention towards local parties.     

C: reviews: short review articles

DESERT SONGS: WESTERN IMAGES OF MOROCCO AND MOROCCAN IMAGES OF THE WEST. By John Maier. Albany New York, State University of New York Press, 1996.

PURITANS IN BABYLON: THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND AMERICAN INTELLECTUAL LIFE 1880–1930. By Bruce Kuklick. Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton University Press, 1996.

THE ISLAMIC BATHS OF PALESTINE. By Martin Dow. Oxford, Published for the British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem by the Oxford University Press, 1996. 128 pp. (hb).

ISLAM AND ISRAEL. MUSLIM RELIGIOUS ENDOWMENTS AND THE JEWISH STATE. By Michael Dumper. Washington, DC, Institute for Palestine Studies, 1994. 192 pp. (hb).

ISLAMIC POLITICS IN PALESTINE. By Beverley Milton‐Edwards. London and New York, Tauris Academic Studies, 1996. 256 pp., £39.50 (hb).

CHRISTIANS IN THE HOLY LAND. Edited by Michael Prior and William Taylor. London, World of Islam Festival Trust, 1994. 235 pp.

THE CHRISTIAN HERITAGE IN THE HOLY LAND. Edited by Antony O'Mahony with Goran Gunner and Kevork Hintlian. London, Scorpion Cavendish, 1995. 320 pp., including 15 pp. of illustrations and 1 map.

POLITICS WITHOUT PROCESS: ADMINISTERING DEVELOPMENT IN THE ARAB WORLD. By Jamil E. Jreisat. Boulder, Lynie Rienner Publishers, 1997. 259 pp.     

Fiscal Federalism for Emerging Economies: Lessons from Switzerland?

Switzerland is one of the most non-centralized countries inthe world. A groining literature is examining the economic effectsof tax competition between the 26 Swiss cantons. Despite therelative success of Swiss federalism, most federal countriesfollow the principles of coordinated rather than competitivefederalism. We identify the institutional preconditions forwell-functioning competitive federalism in Switzerland. Thesecond part deals with the applicability of the Swiss experiencefor emerging economies in Latin America. The analysis recognizesthat most institutions identified to be crucial in the Swisscase are missing in Latin America. This leads to the policyconclusion that competitive federalism can only produce itspositive effects under certain institutional circumstances.These circumstances are often not considered when introducinglax competition in emerging economies.     

Government Strength, Power Dispersion in Governments and Budget Deficits in OECD-Countries. A Voting Power Approach

We test for the influenceof government strength and dispersion ofpower among the parties of coalitiongovernments on the size of annual debtaccumulation through budget deficits inOECD-countries from 1970 to 1999.Government strength and power dispersion incoalition governments are measured by theBanzhaf index of voting power, respectivelythe standard deviation of Banzhaf indicesof coalition parties. We believe that theseare better-suited proxies than most of whathas been applied so far. Governmentstrength turns out to be insignificant.However, coalitions with equally strongpartners run significantly higher deficitsthan coalitions with one dominating party.