This fully revised and updated edition of an established reference book, provides in one volume the most comprehensive and detailed statistical guide available to the government and politics of the twenty-four countries in the OECD.
There is no lack of statistical data about the OECD countries (the nineteen countries of Western Europe together with Cabada, the United States, Japan, Australia, and New Sealand); but much of the material is hard to track down and little is available in comparative form. The editors of the present volume have sifted through many hundreds of sources to select the essential facts and figures on population, social structure, employment, the economy, public finance, government structures, and political parties from 1950 to the present day. In addition they provide social and economic background for each of the countries covered to enable the data to be put in context. A short final section lists sources of further information.
The resulting combination is both invaluable and fascinating, whether it is used casually to check up a fact or two, or systematically to make detailed comparisons between the most advanced political systems of the Western world.
30% off all books in the Comparative Politics Series for ECPR Member affiliates – please contact editorial@ecpr.eu for more details on how to claim the discount.
This book will be particularly useful for its socioeconomic and public expenditure time series and for its up-to-date list of governments as these data are nowhere available in a single source for such a long period. -- 'Political Studies'
Jan-Erik Lane is a social scientist and Professor Emeritus at the University of Geneva. He has taught politics and economics at many universities around the world and published more than 700 books and articles.
David McKay is Emeritus Professor of Government at the University of Essex. He has published more than 50 articles on British, American, comparative and urban politics.
Kenneth Newton is Professor Emeritus, University of Southampton and Visiting Professor, Wissenschaftszentrum
Berlin, and Hertie School of Governance, Berlin.
