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The Politics of Electoral Systems
Michael Gallagher and Paul Mitchell
672 pages
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numerous tables and figures
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234x156mm
978-0-19-923867-5
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Paperback
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10 January 2008
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- First book to provide a widely comparative study of a large range of electoral systems in over 20 years
- Contains detailed analysis from 22 countries, including 11 from Western Europe, Russia, Japan, the USA, South Africa, and Chile
- Offers appendixes on the mechanics of electoral systems and the standard methods used to analyse them.
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?'Readership:
Scholars and students of politics, especially those interested in political behaviour, comparative politics, electoral studies, and political structures and processes; political practitioners and advisors engaged in electoral reform
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Michael Gallagher, Professor of Comparative Politics, Trinity College, University of Dublin, and Paul Mitchell, Lecturer in Government, London School of Economics and Political Science Contributors:
Arend Lijphart, University of California, San Diego
Michael Gallagher, Trinity College, Dublin
Paul Mitchell, LSE
Matthew Soberg Shugart, University of Calirfonia, San Diego
Richard S. Katz, Johns Hopkins University
David M. Farrell, University of Manchester
Ian McAllister, Queens University, Belfast
Louis Massicotte, University of Montreal
Robert Elgie, Dublin City University
Anthony Heath, Nuffield College, Oxford
Siana Glouharova, University of Oxford
Oliver Heath, University of Essex
Shaun Bowler, University of Calirfonia, Riverside
Todd Donovan, Western Washington University
Jennifer Van Heerde, University College, London
Thomas Saalfeld, University of Kent at Canterbury
Kenneth Benoit, Trinity College, Dublin
Roberto D'Alimonte, University of Florence
Steven R. Reed, Chuo University
Jack Vowles, University of Auckland
Stephen White, University of Glasgow
Gideon Rahat, Hebrew Universiy of Jerusalem
Reuven Y. Hazan, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Amanda
Gouws, University of Stellenbosch
Jonathan Hopkin, LSE
Wolfgang C. Müller, University of Mannheim
Lieven De Winter, Catholic University of Louvain
Peter Siavelis, Wake Forest University
Jørgen Elklit, Aarhus University
Tapio Raunio, University of Tampere
Rudy B. Andeweg, Leiden Unviersity
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Review(s) from previous edition
"It is a treasure trove of information about electoral systems and comprehensively examines how votes get translated into seats across the democratic world - Times Higher Education Supplement
"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." - West European Politics
"This is a very useful book which, not only for its biblical proportions, could justly claim to be a bible of electoral systems" - Irish Political Studies
"Overall, this is a superb collection, produced by scholars who know their subject matter and can present it in a very accessible form...this is a book for which much praise is due.
" - Parliamentary Affairs
"This excellent book highlights much of the best in electoral systems research. With top-quality authors, rigorous attention to some key issues and first-rate comparative overviews to introduce and summarize the chapters on individual countries, this book will be one of the first to be read by both experts and newcomers to electoral systems." - Adrian Blau, Party Politics
"covers a wide variety of electoral systems from theoretical and empirical perspectives - and it does so excellently. This brand new work is destined to become no less than the bible of electoral systems ... this anthology is already a classic" - Canadian Journal of Political Science
"In the foreword to the Gallagher and Mitchell collection, Arend Lijphart describes the book as "an outstanding contribution to the electoral systems literature". It is difficult to disagree with this judgement" - Political Studies Review
"political science and politics of electoral systems are treated in an understandable and at the same time comprehensive manner for a wide range of national electoral systems ... it is a very useful handbook of electoral systems for both specialists and students alike" - Acta Politica
"It is a valuable and important work of reference for anyone in academia or policy development with a serious interest in comparative electoral systems" - Representation
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Arend Lijphart: Foreword
Part 1: Introduction: Electoral Systems and Electoral Systems Research
1: Michael Gallagher and Paul Mitchell: Introduction to Electoral Systems
2: Matthew Søberg Shugart: Comparative Electoral Systems Research: The Maturation of a Field and New Challenges Ahead
3: Richard S. Katz: Why are There so many (or so few) Electoral Reforms?
Part 2: Single-Member Constituency Systems
4: David M. Farrell and Ian McAllister: Australia: The Alternative vote in a Compliant Political Culture
5: Louis Massicotte: Canada: Sticking to First-past-the-Post, for the Time Being
6: Robert Elgie: France: Stacking the Deck
7: Anthony Heath, Siana Glouharova, and Oliver Heath: India: Two-Party Contests Within a Multi-Party System
8: Paul Mitchell: United Kingdom: Plurality Rule Under Siege
9: Shaun Bowler, Todd Donovan, and Jennifer Van Heerde: United States of America: Perpetual Campaigning in the Absence of Competition
Part 3: Mixed Systems
10: Thomas Saalfeld: Germany: Stability and Strategy in a Mixed-Member Proportional System
11: Kenneth Benoit: Hungary: Holding Back the Tiers
12: Roberto D'Alimonte: Italy: A Case of Fragmented Bipolarism
13: Steven R. Reed: Japan: Haltingly Toward a Two-Party System
14: Jack Vowles: New Zealand: The Consolidation of Reform?
15: Stephen White: Russia: The Authoritarian Adaptation of an Electoral System
Part 4: Closed List Systems
16: Gideon Rahat and Reuven Y. Hazan: Israel: The Politics of Extreme Proportionality
17: Amanda Gouws and Paul Mitchell: South Africa: One Party Dominance Despite Perfect Proportionality
18: Jonathan Hopkin: Spain: Proportional Representation with Majoritarian Outcomes
Part 5: Preferential List Systems and PR-STV
19: Wolfgang C. Müller: Austria: A Complex Electoral System with Subtle Effects
20: Lieven De Winter: Belgium: Empowering Voters or Party Elites?
21: Peter Siavelis: Chile: The Unexpected (and Expected) Consequences of Electoral Engineering
22: Jørgen Elklit: Denmark: Simplicity Embedded in Complexity (or Is it the Other Way Round?)
23: Tapio Raunio: Finland: One Hundred Years of Quietude
24: Rudy B. Andeweg: The Netherlands: The Sanctity of Proportionality
25: Michael Gallagher: Ireland: The Discreet Charm of PR-STV
Part 6: Conclusion
26: Michael Gallagher: 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
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