The first edition of this book offered the theory that the "quality" of citizen politics is alive and well whereas the institutions of democracy are in disarray. The author argued that citizens are not as uninvolved, uninformed and undemocratic as thier critics suggest. With the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Empire, there arose an unbridled and uncritical enthusiasm for democratic politics. This edition expands on the original theory and also highlights the newly-found strengths and challenges today's democracy must face. The book introduces the concept of citizen political behaviour, the questions that remain about it, and the implications of it. The analysis focuses on the United States, Great Britain, Germany and France in a broad cross-national context.