In its first year of eligibility, this book won the George Hallett Prize given by the Organized Section on Representation and Electoral Systems of the American Political Science Association, a testimony to its status as a "must" addition to the library of anyone interested in electoral systems and their impact. It introduces innovative concepts and arguments and applies them to controversial theses and theoretical claims in the traditional literature and well-known empirical data in ways that yield insights in a field already heavily "cultivated" over the past century by leading scholars. The analytic tools and methodological commentaries provided will shape our study of such matters for decades to come. Chapters vary notably in their level of sophistication and difficulty, but with proper input from the instructor on the more difficult topics and arguments the book is appropriate for use in advanced undergraduate courses in the field and an essential text for graduate-level ones.

This book is an unique combination of theoretical and empirical research of the working and consequences of electoral systems. They provide the reader a wide range of tools for their own analysis of elections. It is very useful for graduate students and researchers in the field of comparative political analysis.

Taagepara and Shugart have produced the most insightful and intuitive book on electoral systems I have ever read. It is easy to follow, the methodology is clearly laid out, and the results are both interesting and provocative. This book will become a staple for graduate classes across the country

"Return to Independence" is perhaps one of the most unique books on the topic of Estonia. It is one part historical account, one part autobiography, and one part personal polemic. Taagepera mixes concise, academic prose with a dose of literary caprice when relating personal anecdotes and ingenious metaphors, resulting in a book about much more than the Estonian national identity, or the Estonian struggle for freedom from the USSR. Rather, this book is about of the indomitability of the human spirit, and the fuel to that spirit that we know as freedom.

Very good book, interesting history review of the past, but a little bit PROPAGANDA sounding end, anyway, the excellent source for those who is interested in Estonian history.