A common-sense, theory, and evidence-based defense of parliamentarism. The most successful "-ism" in history has far too few advocates. Tiago Ribeiro dos Santos argues that the best solution for much of what ails societies is a centuries-old system of government. "…excellent, thorough, and highly persuasive…" Arend Lijphart – University of California San Diego – author of Patterns of Democracy: Government Forms & Performance in Thirty-six Countries "Democracies are not all created equal. Some constitutions perform better than others. In this book, Tiago Ribeiro dos Santos does an excellent job summarizing the existing empirical literature and making a case that parliamentary democracies outperform their competitors. This book is a valuable resource for anyone interested in constitutional design, political theory, or improving the efficacy of government." Jason Brennan – Georgetown University – author of Why Not Capitalism? "All major aspects of the debate about optimal government structure are tackled in this book by Tiago Santos. It has data, theory, literature review and some nice tirades. He convinced me. At a minimum, it will shake your convictions" Carlos Eduardo Gonçalves – Canal Por Quê? – author of Economia na palma da mão: Do economês para o português