Table of Contents

* Foreword by Max Kaase * Introduction One: The Changing Political Culture * Legitimizing a System * The Involved Electorate * Sources of Political Information Two: The Changing Political Agenda * Politics and the Economic Environment * Politics and the International Environment * Old Politics and New Politics Three: Changing Partisan Politics * Transition in the Social Bases of German Politics * Partisanship and Political Behavior * Partisan Images and Electoral Change * A Causal Analysis of the Components of the Vote Four: Epilogue * The 1976 Election * West German Politics in Transition * Appendix A: The Database * Appendix B: Constructed Measures * Notes * Index

Promotional Information

The authors uncover a variety of most interesting trends in German behavior, which must lead to a recasting of many commonly accepted characterizations of current politics in Germany. Especially important are the trends they find in regime support and in active participation; their treatment of changing political agendas; and their new measure of partisanship (which should cause many Europeans to revise their thoughts about partisanship). Some other analyses, such as their analysis of Germans' attitudes on foreign policy are topically interesting, and are very well done... Their interpretations generally ring true'...All in all, I think this is a first--rate job. -- W. Phillips Shively

About the Author

Kendall L. Baker was Professor of Political Science at the University of Wyoming from 1967–1982 and is now president of Ohio Northern University. Russell J. Dalton is Professor of Political Science, University of California, Irvine. Kai Hildebrandt is Associate Professor in the Department of Communications, University of Windsor, Canada.

Reviews

The authors uncover a variety of most interesting trends in German behavior, which must lead to a recasting of many commonly accepted characterizations of current politics in Germany. Especially important are the trends they find in regime support and in active participation; their treatment of changing political agendas; and their new measure of partisanship (which should cause many Europeans to revise their thoughts about partisanship). Some other analyses, such as their analysis of Germans’ attitudes on foreign policy are topically interesting, and are very well done… Their interpretations generally ring true… All in all, I think this is a first-rate job.
*W. Phillips Shively*