Is the performance of western democracies in decline? Which countries excel? Do institutions influence political performance? This book provides a thorough analysis of twenty-one OECD countries, examining major domestic policy areas—security, economic, social, and environmental—through outcome indicators. It assesses the quality of democracy both within these areas and overall, exploring trade-offs between them in an unprecedented manner and identifying national policy patterns for the first time. The findings challenge common assumptions about democratic performance, revealing that western democracies have not converged at a lower performance level, and that trade-offs between policy areas have not increased. The question of whether institutions matter is only partially affirmed; while political institutions do have an impact, the effects of formal and informal institutions vary and are limited. This work has significant theoretical implications, suggesting that the influence of institutions is more complex than many neo-institutionalist theories propose. It indicates that predictions based solely on institutional factors are unreliable and does not support the notion that fundamental political issues can be resolved merely through institutional reforms in liberal democracies. Comparative Politics is a series aimed at students and educators in political science, focusing on contemporary governance and politics, edited b
