Vol. 5 No. 5 (May, 1995) pp. 159-160

POLITICAL CULTURE AND CONSTITUTIONALISM: A COMPARATIVE APPROACH by Daniel P. Franklin and Michael J. Baun, Editors. Armonk, New York: M. E. Sharpe, Inc.,1995. 245 pp., Hardcover $55.00, Paper $21.95.

Reviewed by John R. Schmidhauser, Professor Emeritus, University of Southern California

The genesis of this investigation was the intellectual exchange between the editors of this book after both had participated in the exciting task of advising constitution builders in former east bloc countries specifically Azerbaijan (Franklin) and the former German Democratic Republic (Baun). Franklin had noted that hundreds of political scientists were involved in such east bloc consulting. Like others, the editors recognized that in the "absence of the societal conditions antecedent to the establishment of democratic institutions" institutional tinkering is not likely to be effective. This book concentrates upon the conditions conducive of democracy.

The chapter authors are specialists in the constitutional and institutional backgrounds of the specific nation each investigated. In most instances, they were keen observers of the political cultural heritage of the nation as well. William B. Gwyn, Daniel P. Franklin, and Gregory S. Mahler treated Great Britain, the United States, and Canada, respectively. These three nations are categorized as representative of evolutionary constitutionalism, defined as including the key elements of "mature" constitutionalism-liberal democratic institutions, an ethnically, linguistically, and religiously tolerant social and political culture and a muted sense of nationalism -- evolved, albeit imperfectly, over several political generations (or in Great Britain's case, many centuries ).

Michael J. Baun and James 0. Haley investigated Germany and Japan, again respectively, here defined as "remade" democracies. Both acknowledge that the pre-World War II experiences of each nation were not very extensive and that democratic institutionalization was largely induced by American military occupation and material assistance and the cooperation stimulated by Cold War alliances. Two nations classified as in the economic semiperiphery and independent of colonialism (or far distant from it ) are analyzed by Marcie J. Patton ( Turkey ) and Howard J. Wiarda (Mexico ). Three nations recently emancipated from colonial status -- India, Egypt, and Nigeria -- are assessed by Sankaran Krishna, Nathan J. Brown and Roni Amit, and Rotimi T. Suberu.

The conceptual approach embodied in these categorizations is indeed sound and, with respect to the always difficult task of developing enduring generalizations, tentatively promising. But the specific nation-state selections are not as broadly comparative as possible. In the category of evolutionary constitutional nations, a selection outside the English-speaking nations would have been of broader comparative interest as would one which dealt with religious and linguistic diversity more tolerantly. Switzerland serves as an excellent example. With respect to the category of nations recently emancipated from colonial status, the total concentration upon nations formerly part of the British colonial tradition omits completely the experiences of those nations

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emancipated from France, Italy, Portugal, or Belgium. Selections such as Algeria, Ethiopia, Senegal, Zaire, or Mozambique would have been instructive.

With respect to the chapter contributions, the quality of the analysis in each is high. But the scope of analysis in each is not uniform, thus rendering cross-chapter comparisons occasionally difficult. For example, Almond and Verba's seminal study of the Civic Culture is utilized as a frame of reference in some chapters, is declared partially flawed in others, and not utilized in others.

Overall this is a substantial contribution and will be of interest to comparative scholars and students as well as scholars concerned with post Cold War transitions.