Review by Choice Review
On the basis of fairly limited data, Narud and Valen (Univ. of Oslo), Pedersen (Univ. of Southern Denmark), and others have undertaken a comparative examination of the candidate selection process for Scandinavian elections. They endeavor, by documenting who controls nominations (central, regional, or local party officials, party members, party voters), to uncover the demographic, social, and ideological interests to which nominees are accountable, and to evaluate whether or in what way legislators are democratically accountable. They conclude that central party organizations are losing authority over candidate selection. Moreover, they find that, through primaries or local caucuses, not just local party members but the average voter has an increasing voice in candidate selection. This is an acceptable beginning to a comparative analysis of agency in the Nordic multiparty parliamentary environment. The chapters are of variable quality. The most satisfying chapter is on Norway, and the chapter on Iceland is too long. The greatest weakness of the volume is that it does not examine Swedish candidate selection. One hopes it will serve as a stimulus to further and more intensive comparative analysis of small state nomination processes. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. Graduate collections and above. J. H. Eastby Hampden-Sydney College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
