North American and European experts use rational choice theory to explore what makes democracy successful in this 2003 text.

1. Introduction Albert Breton, Gianluigi Galeotti, Pierre Salmon and Ronald Wintrobe; Part I. Some Problems with Democratic Institutions and Trends in Their Evolution: 2. Demobilization, demoralization and the loosening bonds of electoral politics Michael C. Munger; 3. Turning 'citizens' into 'consumers': economic growth and the level of public discourse Stergios Skaperdas; 4. Economic and cultural prerequisites for democracy Roger D. Congleton; 5. Civil society and the contemporary social order Frédérique Chaumont-Chancelier; Part II. Morals in Politics: 6. When does altruism overcome the intransitivity of income redistribution? Donald Wittman; 7. Democratic resilience and the necessity of virtue Alan Hamlin; Part III. Social Capital: 8. The optimal level of solidarity Ronald Wintrobe; 9. The bonds of democratic politics - an economic perspective Stefan Voigt; Part IV. The Role of Constitutions: 10. Voting rules: a constitutional quandary Gianluigi Galeotti; 11. Citizens' sovereignty, constitutional commitments and renegotiation: original vs. continuing agreement Viktor J. Vanberg; 12. Constitutional rules and competitive politics: their effects on secessionism Albert Breton and Pierre Salmon.