Alan Ware, The Dynamics of Two Party Politics (Oxford University Press, 2009)

This small book packs a considerable theoretical and practical punch. Alan Ware challenges much received wisdom about the dynamics of two party politics. In the process, he adds considerably to contemporary discussion of the intersection of structure and agency in the development and adaptation of political systems. Ware picks out two party systems for concentrated attention because of their relative tractability – in his words: ‘these systems are ideal for analysing the capacity of parties to pursue their interests in the face of both other actors within the political system and also of elements within the party itself.