While primary elections are most often associated with presidential candidates in the United States, similar methods for selecting party leaders and candidates are becoming increasingly common in parliamentary democracies around the world. The Promise and Challenge of Party Primary Elections introduces the first comprehensive examination of both the concept and the practice of primary elections outside of the United States. By offering a clear definition of primary elections and examples of their types, the authors deliver the tools needed for comparative analysis within and across diverse party systems. Focusing their attention on Canada and Israel - two early adopters of primary elections - the authors unveil the most pressing challenges of conducting internal elections, including questions of financing, monitoring and oversight, and the recruitment of new party members. At the same time, the book highlights the democratic benefits of primaries through direct and widespread participation in internal party decision making. Drawing upon the experience of parties with a long history of primary elections, The Promise and Challenge of Party Primary Elections offers valuable lessons and insights for parties around the world in search of more open and inclusive democratic practices.

William P. Cross is professor and Bell Chair in Canadian Parliamentary Democracy at Carleton University and co-author of The Promise and Challenge of Party Primary Elections: A Comparative Perspective.

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Ofer Kenig is senior lecturer at Ashkelon Academic College.

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Scott Pruysers is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Political Science at Carleton University.

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Gideon Rahat is associate of political science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

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“This is an excellent book. Its systematic approach and its advancement of a clear typology, combined with a detailed assessment of the spread, the administration, and the effects of primaries, make it both unique and important. It is a valuable resource for readers not just in Canada, but globally.” Amanda Bittner, Memorial University of Newfoundland