Do constitutions matter? Are constitutions simply symbols of the political times at which they were adopted, or do they systematically affect the course of public policy? Are the policy crises of failing democracies the result of bad luck or of fundamental problems associated with the major and minor constitutional reforms adopted during their recent histories?

The purpose of the present study is to address these questions using a blend of theory, history, and statistical analysis. The Swedish experience provides a nearly perfect laboratory in which to study the effects of constitutional reform. During the past 200 years, Swedish governance has shifted from a king-dominated system with an unelected four-chamber parliament to a bicameral legislature elected with wealth-weighted voting in 1866, and then to a new electoral system based on proportional representation and universal suffrage in 1920, and finally to a unicameral parliamentary system in 1970. All these radical reorganizations of Swedish governance were accomplished peacefully using formal amendment procedures established by previous constitutions.

By focusing on constitutional issues rather than Sweden's political history, this book extends our understanding of constitutional reform and parliamentary democracy in general.

1. The Course of Reform.- Interests and Interest in Constitutional Reform.- Why Sweden?.- Methodology.- Generality of the Approach.- I: Constitutional Interests.- 2. The Nature of Constitutions.- 3. An Overview of Swedish Constitutional History.- 4. Ideas and Interests in Constitutional Reform.- 5. The Consequences of Constitutional Reform.- 6. Governance Under Constraints.- II: Perfecting Parliament.- 7. Popular Sovereignty and Constitutional Design.- 8. Essential Procedural Methods and Constraints for Parliament.- 9. Constraining Parliamentary Democracy to Advance the Majority's Interest.- 10. Organizing Governance to Broaden Consensus: Beyond Majority Rule.- III: Swedish Lessons.- 11. Appraising the Performance of the Swedish Constitution.- 12. Constitutional Reforms of the 1970s and the Performance of Swedish Governance: Statistical Evidence.- 13. Improving the Swedish Constitution.- 14. Lessons Learned.- References.- Books.- Articles.- Data Appendixes.- A. Economic Data.- B. Political Data.