Abstract
This is the second volume of a series that aims at highlighting and re-evaluating the contributions of the most important political scientists. The main focus of the series is to facilitate the work of current and future political scientists by providing them with a critical understanding of the works of the early, classic political scientists. The editors maintain that the future development and sophistication of the discipline largely depends upon a critical understanding of the earlier key approaches in comparative politics, political sociology and political quantitative methods. The current volume analyses the critical contributions made by Gabriel Almond, Raymond Aron, Philip Converse, Maurice Duverger, Stanley Hoffmann, Paul Lazarsfeld, Arend Lijphart, Elinor Ostrom, William Riker, Stein Rokkan and Susan Strange. The editors review and consider the contributions of these key scholars to the study of contemporary issues in political science.
Gianfranco Pasquino's chapter on Gabriel Almond stands out among the various contributions for its succinct review of political development theory. In fact, Almond was not only one of the leading theorists of the study of political development and democratic transitions but he was also the promoter of a series of path-breaking works. His sponsorship of the series titled ‘Studies in Political Development’ allowed the political science literature deeply to influence US foreign policy toward the Third World in the 1960s. Key concepts and theories were developed which are still widely used today. Pasquino, for instance, details how profoundly Almond's work has influenced the political science literature and argues that his work is still of great relevance today. Another key contribution is by Robert Elgie on Maurice Duverger's work. Elgie correctly argues that Duverger has had a profound influence upon the study of electoral laws and especially their impact upon the party system. He argues that Duverger's work in this area of study is still extremely relevant and his key theories are still unsurpassed. Elgie also argues that Duverger made key contributions to the study of semi-presidential systems of government, but that the political science literature in this area of study has somewhat moved away from Duverger's general definition.
Daniele Caramani's essay on another classic author of the political science literature, Stein Rokkan, is also a key contribution. Its only shortcoming is the lack of discussion of Rokkan's continued relevance toward understanding broader European Union developments or the origin and development of corporatist and authoritarian regimes.
All in all this is an excellent volume that sheds new light on the classics of political science.