Citizens of the United States, heirs to two centuries of democratic government, tend to believe that presidentialism – rather than parliamentarism – is the political system that best ensures a stable democracy. In Latin America, however, where many governments have been modeled on that of the United States, presidentialism has had mixed success. In The Failure of Presidential Democracy Juan Linz and Arturo Valenzuela bring together leading scholars to examine the question of whether presidentialism or parliamentarism offers the best hope for stable government and democratic continuity. This book is already a classic and is bound to be widely read and cited for many years to come. ―Matthew Soberg Shugart, Journal of Democracy An impressive and valuable book, with a first-class roster of contributors, and rewards a careful reading. ―Martin C. Needler, Studies in Comparative International Development With a superb cast of contributors and a well-chosen sample of countries, The Failure of Presidential Democracy treats a central issue in the world today, as more and more countries try to construct durable democracies. It also reflects the new emphasis in political science on institutions, an area that has been sorely neglected in Latin American studies. Indeed, the book fills a huge informational and analytical gap on institutional arrangements in Latin American political systems. This is a stimulating, thoughtful, and relevant book―well suited to classroom use in courses on comparative politics and Latin American politics. ―Paul W. Drake, University of California, San Diego With a superb cast of contributors and a well-chosen sample of countries, The Failure of Presidential Democracy treats a central issue in the world today, as more and more countries try to construct durable democracies. It also reflects the new emphasis in political science on institutions, an area that has been sorely neglected in Latin American studies. Indeed, the book fills a huge informational and analytical gap on institutional arrangements in Latin American political systems. This is a stimulating, thoughtful, and relevant book―well suited to classroom use in courses on comparative politics and Latin American politics. -- Paul W. Drake Juan J. Linz is Sterling Professor Emeritus of Political and Social Science at Yale University. In addition to the works coauthored and coedited with Professor Stepan, Professor Linz has published works on democracy, democratization, and comparative politics, including Sultanistic Regimes , also published by Johns Hopkins.