ABSTRACT
Parliamentary democracy is the world’s most popular political project. About a third of the world’s population live under this form of regime, and their numbers have never been greater. By and large, the great majority o f those citizens accept parliamentarism as a legitimate vehicle for popular representation. Likewise, among the scholarly community, parliamentary democracy has found widespread support (e.g., Linz & Valenzuela 1994; Moe & Caldwell 1994; Weaver & Rockman 1993). Yet, parliamentarism may be more widely admired than understood. Those who have debated the merits of parliamentary government have generally assumed that although the effects of parliamentarism may not be obvious, its essential features are well defined and understood. This is not necessarily so, however.
