Mixed-Member Electoral Systems: The Best of Both Worlds?

by Matthew Shugart (Editor), Martin P. Wattenberg (Editor)

Overview

Mixed-member electoral systems may well be the electoral reform of the 21st century. In the view of many electoral reformers, mixed-member systems offer the best of both the traditional British single-seat district system and PR systems. This book seeks to evaluate: why mixed-member systems have recently appealed to many countries with diverse electoral histories; and how well expectations for these systems have been met. Each major country, which has adopted a mixed system thus, has two chapters in this book, one on origins and one on consequences. These countries are Germany, New Zealand, Italy, Israel, Japan, Venezuela, Bolivia, Mexico, Hungary, and Russia. In addition, there are also chapters on the prospects for a mixed-member system being adopted in Britain and Canada, respectively. The material presented suggests that mixed-member systems have been largely successful thus far. They appear to be more likely than most other electoral systems to generate two-bloc party systems, without in the process reducing minor parties to insignificance. In addition, they are more likely than any other class of electoral system to simultaneously generate local accountability as well as a nationally-oriented party system. Mixed-member electoral systems have now joined majoritarian and proportional systems as basic options which must be considered whenever electoral systems are designed or redesigned. Such a development represents a fundamental change in thinking about electoral systems around the world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780191039348
Publisher:	OUP Oxford
Publication date:	02/01/2001
Series:	Comparative Politics
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	12 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

See above

Table of Contents

• Introduction: The Electoral Reform of the Twenty-first Century?
• Part I: Placing Mixed-Member Systems in the World of Electoral Systems
• Mixed-Member Electoral Systems: A Definition and Typology
• Extreme Electoral Systems and the Appeal of the Mixed-Member Alternative
• Part II: Origins of Mixed-Member Systems
• Germany: The Mixed-Member System as a Political Compromise
• Choosing MMP in New Zealand: Explaining the 1993 Electoral Reform
• Reforming the Italian Electoral Law, 1993
• The Politics of Reform in Israel: How the Israeli Mixed System Came to Be
• The Causes of Electoral Reform in Japan
• The Sources of Electoral Reform in Venezuela
• Electoral Reform in Bolivia: Origins of the Mixed-Member Proportional System
• Reforming Electoral Systems in Mexico
• Hedging Against Uncertainty: Regime Change and the Origins of Hungary's Mixed-Member System
• Compromise Amidst Political Conflict: The Origins of Russia's Mixed-Member System
• Part III: Consequences of Mixed-Member Systems
• The Political Consequences of Germany's Mixed-Member System: Personalization at the Grass Roots?
• An Initial Assessment of the Consequences of MMP in New Zealand
• Mixed Electoral Rules, Partisan Realignment, and Party System Change in Italy
• The Israeli Mixed Electoral System: Unexpected Reciprocal and Cumulative Consequences
• The Consequences of Electoral Reform in Japan
• The Legislative Consequences of MMP Electoral Rules in Venezuela
• The Mixed-Member Proportional System and its Consequences in Bolivia
• The Consequences of The Mexicos Mixed Electoral System, 1988-1997
• Evaluating Hungary's Mixed-Member Electoral System
• The Consequences of Russia's Mixed-Member Electoral System
• Part IV: Prospects for Reform in Other Countries
• The United Kingdom Comes of Age: The British Electoral Reform Revolution of the 1990s
• Electoral Rules and Electoral Reform in Canada
• Conclusion
• Are Mixed-Member Systems the Best of Both Worlds?