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GIMPEL, JAMES. 1996. National Elections and the Autonomy of American State Party Systems. Pp. xi, 241. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press. $45.00. Paperbound, $19.95. In 1956, the eminent political [...]

Writers on comparative political institutions generally have attached considerably greater importance to by-elections held under a parliamentary democracy than to similar elections held in the United States. The reason is that the greater time period which separates general elections in a parliamentary system allows for more by-elections to be held, and that the disciplined legislative majority which a parliamentary type of cabinet usually enjoys leaves the periodic by-election as one of the few occasions when the popularity of government policy may be tested. Defenders of parliamentary government often refer to by-elections when replying to critics of the system who object to rigid party discipline and to the relatively infrequent opportunities given to the electorate to hold the government accountable. Despite this interest in parliamentary by-elections, opinions have differed regarding their accuracy and adequacy as reflectors of public opinion. This study, which is focused on an examination of by-elections held in Canada during the period 1921-1958, is based on the assumption that conflicting conclusions such as these have resulted from an inadequate analysis of available election data and that the significance of by-elections as gauges of political opinion can be assessed more accurately than has heretofore been demonstrated.