Improving Democracy Through Constitutional Reform Some Swedish Lessons

"Most writing in constitutional political economy is theoretical and normative - it describes what constitutions should look like and how they should work, not how they do look and work. In tracing the constitutional history of Sweden, Roger Congleton breaks with this tradition. Sweden constitutes one of democracy's great success stories of the last century, and thus it is important that students of constitutional political economy know what role its constitutions have played in bringing about this success. This book describes how Sweden's constitutions have evolved, and puts this evolutionary process into perspective using analytic insights from public choice. It is a most welcomed addition to the literature."

(Dennis C. Mueller, Dept. of Economics, University of Vienna)

"Professor Congleton has brought his considerable knowledge of political economy to bear on new questions. His carefully constructed analysis of the Swedish setting shows why "constitutions matter" and how reforms can allow a well-functioning democracy to improve and better serve its citizens. The results is a balanced and complete discussion that will be of interest to all of those interested in how our choice of institutions affects the workings of our democratic systems."

(Birgitta Swedenborg, Center for Business and Policy Studies, Stockholm, Sweden)