Why do parties' political platforms tend to resemble each other in contemporary democracies? Why, in countries such as the United States, does only half the electorate bother to vote in presidential elections? What does institutional stability depend upon? Positive political theory can provide coherent answers to these questions. The expression "positive political theory" designates an analytical approach to politics that adopts economists' successful methods and has assumed increasing importance in contemporary social science. This volume describes the contribution of positive political theory to the study of institutions and political processes, and how such theory places diverse phenomena in a unitary analytical framework.

Daniela Giannetti, formerly a research associate at Trinity College in Dublin and visiting scholar at the University of Rochester (New York) and Washington University (St. Louis), is a researcher in the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Bologna.