Electoral Systems and Political Transformation in Post-Communist Europe
Author | : S. Birch |
Publisher | : Springer |
Total Pages | : 220 |
Release | : 2003-11-25 |
ISBN-10 | : 9781403938763 |
ISBN-13 | : 1403938768 |
Rating | : 4/5 (63 Downloads) |
Book excerpt: Electoral Systems and Political Transformation in Post-Communist Europe assesses the influence of electoral systems on political change in 20 post-communist European states. The main finding is that electoral institutions have systematic effects on the formation of representative structures. 'Party-enabling' aspects of electoral laws such as list proportional representation tend to foster popular inclusion in politics and institutionalized party systems, whereas 'politician-enabling' rules such as single-member districts and ballots that allow voters to select individuals often favour the development of weakly structured systems and high levels of popular exclusion from the representative process.