Electoral Rules and Party Systems in Federations

Abstract

Examines the interaction between federalism & electoral rules which are generally seen as two distinctive mechanisms for managing territorial conflicts. Different kinds of electoral systems are described, including single-member plurality, closed list proportional representation, & alternative systems. A discussion of the effects that electoral systems have on conflict management & various aspects of party systems is followed by a look at patterns related to choices of electoral rules across different federations, especially in the industrialized world, in order to identify similarities within & across different systems. Data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development countries of Western Europe, North America, & Australasia are used to explore how different electoral rules affect the integration of political parties/party systems across levels of governments within countries. It is concluded that federalism is both strongly associated with bicameralism & compatible with a variety of electoral rules at both national & territorial levels. The advantages & disadvantages of single-member plurality electoral rules for governance are discussed. 4 Tables, 43 References. J. Lindroth