Elections -- Political Parties -- Comparative Government

Indeks : Indeks hlm.: 205 ; Bibliografi hlm.:195 ; This systematic and comprehensive study describes and classifies the 70 electoral systems used by 27 democracies-including those of Western Europe, Australia, Canada, the USA, Costa Rica, India, Israel, Japan, and New Zealand-for 384 national legislative and European Parliament elections between 1945-1990. Using comparative and statistical analyses of these systems, Arend Lijphart demontrates the effect of electoral formula used, the number of representatives elected per district, electoral threshold, and of five other key features of electoral systems on the proportionality of the election outcome, the degree of multipartism, and the creation of majority parties. In the process he reveals that electoral systems are neither as diverse nor as complex as is often assumed. Electoral systems and party systems represents the most definitive treatment of the subject since Rae's classic study in 1967, based as it is on more accurate and comprehensive data (covering more countries and a longer time span), and using stronger hypotheses and better analytical methods. The unique information and analysis it offers will make it essential reading for everyone working in the field.