Irish political prisoners, 1960–2000: braiding rage and sorrow

achieve the goal of stability of democracy. On the other hand, the authors make an important note: this is the case only for Western Europe. When it comes to Eastern Europe the higher degree of closure tends to go together with weaker democratic performance (p. 261). At the same time, they warn that the positive effect of party system closure can be experienced only if the closure is achieved through competition. This book is excellent reading for scholars interested in party systems, the functioning and quality of democracy. Resulting from the rigorous methodological approach of the authors and the valuable conclusions with which they successfully defy widespread assumptions about the party system, this book should be mandatory reading. Exceptionally well written, it constitutes a perfect complement to the debate on the institutionalization of party systems by establishing a new tool to capture it – party system closure. Undoubtedly, this book is destined to become a classic.