In Political Parties, Representation, and Electoral Democracy in Canada, eighteen leading political scientists address a wide range of questions concerning political representation in Canada today, from the pressures for reform generated by voters' discontent to the problems that can arise when demands for a more democratic political processes appear to conflict with a long tradition of brokerage politics. Other topics include: the efforts that parties have made to be more inclusive, democratic, and responsive; the decline in support for brokerage practices and elite accommodation; the rise in anti-party sentiment and, as a consequence, the increase in interest-group activity; women's representation in the political process; and the increasing range of issues open to the political process and public debate.

William Cross is Associate Professor of Political Science at Carleton University. His recent publications include Political Parties (UBC Press 2004); Political Parties, Representation and Electoral Democracy in Canada (Oxford University Press, 2002); and Rebuilding Canadian Party Politics (UBC Press 2000, with R. Kenneth Carty and Lisa Young).

Dr. Cross' work also appears in numerous academic journals. He has served as Director of the Canadian Democratic Audit since 2000.

William Cross' profile page