Description
The author of the essay, Gary W. Cox, is a professor of political science at Brigham Young University. He has written extensively on the history of parliamentary government in nineteenth century England, and his latest book is entitled "The Efficient Secret: The Cabinet and the Development of Political Parties in Victorian England." In this essay, Cox focuses on the institutional changes that took place in parliamentary government between the first and third Reform Acts, specifically the development of cabinet government and its legislative consequences.
Cox begins by providing a historical overview of nineteenth century England, including a discussion of political and economic events that led to the institutional changes he is studying. He then uses statistical evidence to support his argument that party voting and voter loyalty in Parliament and the electorate increased simultaneously between the first and third Reform Acts. Cox concludes the essay by discussing the implications of his findings for the study of parliamentary government.
The Efficient Secret is an analysis of the institutional changes in parliamentary government in nineteenth-century England, concentrating on the years between the first and third Reform Acts. Professor Gary W. Cox employs a rational choice model to analyze the problems of voter choice and to examine the emergence of party loyalty in the electorate, the development of cabinet government, and their legislative consequences. The introductory chapters provide the historical setting for this study and briefly survey nineteenth-century political and economic events. Professor Cox then focuses on the increases in party voting in Parliament and in the electorate. To support his argument concerning these parallel developments, he uses statistical evidence drawn from poll books and newspapers.
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