Laver and Schofield explain coalition politics at five levels: who are the players and what do they want, who forms coalitions, what do they gain, how long do they last, and what broad factors effect their behavior?

They do this using fairly straightforward language and by combining various traditions in political science. There are those who are married to the concept of building models and general game theory to describe anything, and there are those who make predictions and generalizations based on organic statistical analysis of the available data, combined with suppositions about the future of politics. The former is usually a crude oversimplification, while the latter is overly subjective. Laver and Schofield attempt to satisfy both of these traditions and answer the concerns of both sides with any point they make.

Great book on comparative politics. Great book on coalition formation. Easy to read (relatively).

A fine, eccentric, thought-provoking novel, exceedingly well-written, that illustrates how as we move through history we are gradually losing our bond with the natural world. We assume progress where we might, viewed through another lens, just be falling behind, trading the richness of life for comfort, ease and longevity (well, maybe not longevity, since the future narrator has a little surprise there). A little sad but also uplifting. A unique read.