The death penalty is a highly emotive subject which leaves few people unaffected and has been written about extensively. However, in spite of this, there has been no even-handed and comprehensive theory of the issue until now. Determinants of the Death Penalty seeks to explain the phenomenon of capital punishment - without recourse to value judgements - by identifying those characteristics common to countries that use the death penalty and those that mark countries which do not. This global study uses statistical analysis to relate the popularity of the death penalty to physical, cultural, social, economical, institutional, actor oriented and historical factors. Separate studies are conducted for democracies and non-democracies and within four regional contexts. The book also contains an in-depth investigation into determinants of the death penalty in the USA. This book is an important reference for those studying the death penalty across political science, sociology and legal studies.