Electoral systems are primarily processes by which votes cast in an election are translated into seats in a legislature, but can also be thought of as a subset of voting systems and thus related to, for instance, voting in referendums and the study of voting rules. As such, these voting and electoral systems can have a profound effect on public policy and party systems.
This course examines majoritarian, proportional, and mixed electoral systems in terms of how these institutions translate votes into seats and can incentivize strategic or genuine choices by voters when casting a ballot. Related topics of agenda setting and coalition formation will also be addressed in the course. We'll start with an overview of the mechanics of these systems and then turn to classic political questions of party competition, resource allocation, and interest representation as they relate to how these systems operate in a comparative context.
Schedule:
January 11: Introduction
January 18: Social Choice and Electoral Systems
January 25: Comparative Visions of Representation
February 1: Variety of Electoral Systems
February 8: Proportional Representation in Practice
February 15: Mixed Electoral Systems and the Single Transferable Vote
February 22: Majoritarian Electoral Systems ASSIGNMENT #1 DUE
March 1: Coalition Formation Processes
March 8: No class this week
March 15: Electoral Systems and Interest Representation
March 22: Electoral Systems in Divided Societies: The Case of South Africa
March 29: Elections in Authoritarian Societies ASSIGNMENT #2 DUE
April 5: Representation at the Local Level
April 12: The Power of Agenda Setting
April 26: Final papers are due
Class Requirements:
• Class Participation 20% of final grade
• Writing Assignments 40% of final grade
• Final Paper 40% of final grade
All of the readings for the course are available on the Moodle website related to this course. However, we read substantial portions of the following books, which students may wish to purchase.
• Gallagher, Michael and Paul Mitchell. 2008. The Politics of Electoral Systems. New York: Oxford University Press.
• Lijphart, Arend. 2012. Patterns of Democracy: Government Forms and Performance in Thirty-Six Countries. (2nd edition). New Haven: Yale University Press.
• Powell, G. Bingham. 2000. Elections as Instruments of Democracy: Majoritarian and Proportional Visions. New Haven: Yale University Press.
• Riker, William. 1982. Liberalism Against Populism: A Confrontation Between the Theory of Democracy and the Theory of Social Choice. San Francisco:W.H. Freeman and Company.