CONSOCIATIONAL DEMOCRACY By AREND LIJPHART* TYPES OF WESTERN DEMOCRATIC SYSTEMS TN Gabriel A.Almond's famous typology of political systems,first expounded in 1956,he distinguishes three types of Western demo- cratic systems:Anglo-American political systems (exemplified by Britain and the United States),Continental European political systems (France,Germany,and Italy),and a third category consisting of the Scandinavian and Low Countries.The third type is not given a distinct label and is not described in detail;Almond merely states that the coun- tries belonging to this type "combine some of the features of the Con- tinental European and the Anglo-American"political systems,and "stand somewhere in between the Continental pattern and the Anglo- American."Almond's threefold typology has been highly influential in the comparative analysis of democratic politics,although,like any provocative and insightful idea,it has also been criticized.This research note will discuss the concept of "consociational democracy"in a con- structive attempt to refine and elaborate Almond's typology of democracies. The typology derives its theoretical significance from the relationship it establishes between political culture and social structure on the one hand and political stability on the other hand.The Anglo-American systems have a "homogeneous,secular political culture"and a"highly differentiated"role structure,in which governmental agencies,parties, interest groups,and the communication media have specialized func- tions and are autonomous,although interdependent.In contrast,the Continental European democracies are characterized by a "fragmenta- tion of political culture"with separate "political sub-cultures."Their roles "are embedded in the sub-cultures and tend to constitute separate sub-systems of roles."2 The terms"Anglo-American"and "Continental European"are used for convenience only and do not imply that geo- This note represents an intermediate stage of a research project concerning political stability in democratic systems.An earlier and briefer discussion of the concept of consociational democracy,in the context of a critical analysis of the utility of typologies in comparative politics,appeared in the author's "Typologies of Democratic Systems," Comparative Political Studies,1 (April 1968),3-44.The author is indebted to the Insti- tute of International Studies,Berkeley,for financial support. 1Gabriel A.Almond,"Comparative Political Systems,"Journal of Politics,xvi (August I956),392-93,405. 2Ibid.,398-99,405-07 (italics omitted)