German Electoral Politics

The study of German electoral politics has been neglected of late, despite being one of the most pervasive elements of the German political process Geoffrey Roberts exciting new book argues that concentration on electoral politics facilitates deeper understanding and appreciation of German political system It provides explanations and analysis of the federal electoral system, its evolution and the challenges which have been made to its format; discusses the role of electoral politics in relation to political parties It goes on to evaluate the effectiveness of the German electoral system in relation to its functions, and challenges the premise that electoral politics makes a difference in Germany Ultimately the book aims to reconcile the apparently limited role which elections have in determining the composition of governments with the notion that there is a "permanent election campaign" in existence in German politics