Ferdinand A. Hermens

Ferdinand A. Hermens was a German-American political scientist and economist. He was born in Nieheim, Kreis Höxter (district) in Germany and he died in Rockville, MD (U.S.). His major books "Democracy or Anarchy?" (1941) and "The Representative Republic" (1958) were translated into German, Italian and Hebrew. The most important contribution to the progress of political science has been his analysis of the impact that electoral systems have in structuring party competition. Hermens has advised U.S. Congressional committees on Presidential Election Procedure, the Judiciary and Divided Powers and Economic Policy, the U.S. government on re-organization of democracy in Germany and the government of Trinidad and Tobago on constitutional matters.