The Politics of Electoral Systems
A Handbook
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Product details:
- Publisher OUP Oxford
- Date of Publication 15 September 2005
- ISBN 9780199257560
- Binding Hardback
- No. of pages688 pages
- Size 242x163x42 mm
- Weight 1134 g
- Language English
- Illustrations Numerous tables and line drawings 0
Categories
Short description:
This ground-breaking book is the first in over 20 years to examine the operation of electoral systems in 22 countries. This thoroughly comparative volume containing contributions from world-class experts seeks to place often highly technical debates about electoral systems in their real national contexts. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in the political process.
MoreLong description:
Electoral systems matter. They are a crucial link in the chain connecting the preferences of citizens to the policy choices made by governments. They are chosen by political actors and, once in existence, have political consequences for those actors. They are an important object of study for anyone interested in the political process, and in this book we subject them to systematic analysis.
In addition to some comparative chapters, the book contains full accounts of the operation of electoral systems in 22 countries: France, the UK, Germany, Italy, Israel, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, The Netherlands, Ireland, Hungary, Russia, Australia, Canada, India, the USA, Japan, New Zealand, Chile, and South Africa.
The book provides detailed analyses of the operation of a diverse set of electoral systems in their national context. Each chapter explains how the electoral system really works in the given country, examining the strategic incentives the system provides to voters, candidates, and parties. All country chapters have a common format and structure. Successive sections analyse: the institutional context; how each electoral system was chosen historically; how the current electoral system operates (the rules, mechanics, and ballot structure); and the political consequences of the current system (the impact on the party system, the internal life of parties, and the impact on parliament and government formation). Each country chapter then contains a final section which focuses on the politicization of electoral institutions. In recent years many countries have changed their electoral systems, either entirely or in part so there is a strong focus on the processes of electoral reform, both historically and prospectively. The book concentrates on the real world 'politics', as well as the 'political science' of electoral systems.
The book will be of interest to those concerned with the practical political business of electoral reform. The book contains a wealth of evidence about the performance of various kinds of proportional representation and of non-PR systems. This will be invaluable for anyone interested in the question: 'What would be the best electoral system for my country?'
'This is not just any book on the politics of electoral systems; it is probably the book on the politics of electoral systems ... The authors of these studies are all highly talented scholars, who usually know the comparative literature as well as their countries. In other words, they know what they are talking about, and they have been given reasonably generous space and good editorial guidance with which to do it. The result is truly impressive
Table of Contents:
Foreword
Part 1: Introduction: Electoral Systems and Electoral Systems Research
Introduction to Electoral Systems
Comparative Electoral Systems Research: The Maturation of a Field and New Challenges Ahead
Why are There so many (or so few) Electoral Reforms?
Part 2: Single-Member Constituency Systems
Australia: The Alternative vote in a Compliant Political Culture
Canada: Sticking to First-past-the-Post, for the Time Being
France: Stacking the Deck
India: Two-Party Contests Within a Multi-Party System
United Kingdom: Plurality Rule Under Siege
United States of America: Perpetual Campaigning in the Absence of Competition
Part 3: Mixed Systems
Germany: Stability and Strategy in a Mixed-Member Proportional System
Hungary: Holding Back the Tiers
Italy: A Case of Fragmented Bipolarism
Japan: Haltingly Toward a Two-Party System
New Zealand: The Consolidation of Reform?
Russia: The Authoritarian Adaptation of an Electoral System
Part 4: Closed List Systems
Israel: The Politics of Extreme Proportionality
South Africa: One Party Dominance Despite Perfect Proportionality
Spain: Proportional Representation with Majoritarian Outcomes
Part 5: Preferential List Systems and PR-STV
Austria: A Complex Electoral System with Subtle Effects
Belgium: Empowering Voters or Party Elites?
Chile: The Unexpected (and Expected) Consequences of Electoral Engineering
Denmark: Simplicity Embedded in Complexity (or Is it the Other Way Round?)
Finland: One Hundred Years of Quietude
The Netherlands: The Sanctity of Proportionality
Ireland: The Discreet Charm of PR-STV
Part 6: Conclusion
Conclusion
Appendix A - The Mechanics of Electoral Systems
Appendix B - Indices of Fragmentation and Disproportionality
Appendix C: Effective Threshold and Effective District Magnitude
Appendix D: Values of Indices for 22 Countries at Most Recent Election
Appendix E: Web Sites Related to Elections, Election Results, and Electoral Systems
