Book Reviews : The British General Election of 1959. By D. E. BUTLER and RICHARD ROSE. (New York: St. Martin's Press, Inc., and London: Macmillan and Co., Ltd., 1960. Pp. viii, 293. $6.75.)

Abstract

which is well organized and extremely readable, is divided into three parts. Part one contains a brief discussion of the major themes and scope of the study. The Committee sought to formulate a policy that &dquo;neither sacrifices integrity for opportunism nor drowns practical staffing needs in moralism. We need a careful regulatory scheme that restrains official conflicts of interest without creating pernicious side effects.&dquo; In terms of scope the study is limited to the federal executive branch and to the conflicts growing chiefly out of economic interests. Part two provides the reader with a broad general review of the statutory enactments in the field since the middle of the nineteenth century and of of the role of administrative agencies and Congress in implementing and enforcing the laws. There is also a good discussion in part two of the changes in American society and government which necessitate a revision of the traditional conflict of interest restraints. Another chapter in part two deals realistically with the effect of conflict of interest restraints on the recruitment of government personnel. A well thought out proposed remedy through the enactment of a single integrated statute and a supplementary code of regulations is presented in part three. The proposed statute which would replace several other statutes and which was introduced in Congress in 1960 is reproduced in the final chapter.Lehigh University ROCCO J. TRESOLINIThe British General Election of 1959.This is the fifth of the Nuffield studies of British general elections. It maintains the high quality established by the first, which dealt with the 1945 election. Like each of the series which have appeared since, it improves the presentation of some of the data, and adds new techniques of analysis. David Butler, one of the co-authors, has had a large part in the writing of all five: statistical appendices for the first and second, authorship of the third and fourth, and collaboration in this one. As the preface to this volume points out, all have been the product of teamwork. The members of the team vary a little from inning to inning, but the same group had much to do with all. It is not surprising, then, that useful analytical methods have continued in use, and have been improved as applied to each successive election.