The Rise and Fall of Japan’s LDP: Political Party Organizations as Historical Institutions

PAfter holding power continuously from its inception in 1955 (with the exception of a ten-month hiatus in 19931994), Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lost control of the national government decisively in September 2009. Despite its defeat, the LDP remains the most successful political party in a democracy in the postWorld War II period. In The Rise and Fall of Japan’s LDP, Ellis S. Krauss and Robert J. Pekkanen shed light on the puzzle of the LDP’s long dominance and abrupt defeat. Several questions about institutional change in party politics are at the core of their investigation: What incentives do different electoral systems provide? How do politicians adapt to new incentives? How much does structure determine behavior, and how much opportunity does structure give politicians to influence outcomes? How adaptable are established political organizations?/PPThe electoral system Japan established in 1955 resulted in a half-century ofAdditional ISBNs: 9780801449321, 0801449324, 9780801459733, 0801459737