Peaceful and Violent Origins of Voting Rights

"At a time when democratic institutions are in danger all around the world, it is more essential to understand how these institutions emerged and evolved. This excellent book provides an invaluable perspective on this question by presenting a comprehensive study of the process of democratization around the Great Reform Act of 1832 in Britain. It convincingly shows how the threat of revolution and social unrest were the key driving forces but also that at critical points the process needed help from elites that were willing to accommodate demands and seek compromise. This is a must-read for all interested in the origins of democracy and those concerned about the state of politics today." --Daron Acemoglu, Nobel Laureate in Economics, MIT, and coauthor of Why Nations Fail and The Narrow Corridor "This is an excellent book, well written and researched, it will be the 'go to' book on the election reforms of 1832 for the next several decades. The book combines several previously published papers into a single volume. However, unlike many other efforts to do so, the result reads like a proper book, rather than a collection of papers. The authors do an excellent job of avoiding the tighter analytical writing style of most journal articles in economics by emphasizing the historical context that led to the electoral reforms of 1832. The authors depart from the usual histories of this period leading up to the reform, both by in their very detailed historical accounts of voting methods and rights both inside and outside Parliament, and by their use of statistical techniques to demonstrate that their conclusions are more than historical intuitions." --Roger Congleton, West Virginia University, and author of Perfecting Parliament "A profound captivating exploration of the forces that shaped and fortified democratic institutions." --Oded Galor, Brown University, and author of The Journey of Humanity "The watershed event of the Great Reform Act of 1832 has been touted as the canonical case of both bottom-up as well as top-down democratization by eminent scholars in the field. Starting from this seemingly paradoxical situation, the authors embark on a captivating intellectual journey to determine the accurate perspective. Their holistic approach and deep understanding of the period allow them to move beyond false binaries painting a compelling narrative. Hats off to the authors for pulling this off." --Stelios Michalopoulos, Brown University "This is interdisciplinary research at its very best: economics, political science and history analyzed by cliometric methods, and carefully explained. Thus, it should be of great interest to many. It deals with the complex political events in connection with the start of democratization in England almost 200 years ago and shows how economic and political factors interacted. Each step in the process is demonstrated by carefully collected data analyzed by solid econometric methods, by two researchers who are also strong theorists. Thus, it is making storytelling solid!" --Martin Paldam, Aarhus University, Denmark, and author of The Grand Pattern of Development and the Transition of Institutions "Democracy is being challenged all over the world. But where did modern democracy come from and why was it created historically when it was? This fundamental book provides the answers and the tools to help us put our current crisis into perspective." --James Robinson, Nobel Laureate in Economics and the University of Chicago, Harris School of Public Policy "Why did pre-modern elites across Europe share their power? This hallmark study focuses on a canonical case--the UK's 1832 Great Reform Act. Aidt and Franck highlight the role of revolutionary unrest. The book stands out for its brilliant synthesis of historical analysis and rigorous, quantitative insight into the multi-causal nature of democratisation." --Hans-Joachim Voth, University of Zurich