The rise and fall of Japan's LDP :

Krauss (Univ. of California, San Diego) and Pekkanen (Jackson School of International Studies, Univ. of Washington) have written a thorough, well-researched book that seeks to explain the reasons for the long tenure of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in Japanese politics. The authors pay particular attention to the role of the "rules" in determining why the LDP was able to reign supreme in Japan for so long and how changes in the rules eventually left the party in the minority. From the LDP's founding in the 1950s to its ouster from power in 2009, the details of LDP dominance are explained through historical institutionalism and other methods. Those interested in methods will find this book a wonderful illustration of the power of specialized tools of analysis to provide detailed analysis of political behavior over time. Although the authors prefer historical methods and case studies, they are careful to deploy multiple methods that are appropriate for the analysis at hand. The book as a whole advances scholarly understanding of Japanese politics and provides well-supported explanations of the behavior and choices made by political parties. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate, research, and professional collections. K. J. Cooney Northwest University