The topic of electoral reform is an extremely timely one. The accelerated expansion of the number of new democracies in the world generates increasing demand for advice on the choice of electoral rules; at the same time, a new reformism in well established democracies seeks new formulae favouring both more representative institutions and more accountable rulers. The Handbook of Electoral System Choice addresses the theoretical and comparative issues of electoral reform in relation to democratization, political strategies in established democracies and the relative performance of different electoral systems. Case studies on virtually every major democracy or democratizing country in the world are included.

No subject is more central to the study of politics than elections. All across the globe, elections are a focal point for citizens, the media, and politicians long before--and sometimes long after--they occur. Electoral systems, the rules about how voters' preferences are translated into election results, profoundly shape the results not only of individual elections but also of many other important political outcomes, including party systems, candidate selection, and policy choices. Electoral systems have been a hot topic in established democracies from the UK and Italy to New Zealand and Japan. Even in the United States, events like the 2016 presidential election and court decisions such as Citizens United have sparked advocates to promote change in the Electoral College, redistricting, and campaign-finance rules. Elections and electoral systems have also intensified as a field of academic study, with groundbreaking work over the past decade sharpening our understanding of how electoral systems fundamentally shape the connections among citizens, government, and policy. This volume provides an in-depth exploration of the origins and effects of electoral systems.

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Machine generated contents note: -- 1. Terminology and Basic Rules of Electoral Systems -- Erik S. Herron, Robert J. Pekkanen, and Matthew S. Shugart -- Part I. Foundations of Electoral Systems -- 2. Dimensions of Variation in Electoral Systems -- Michael Gallagher and Paul Mitchell -- 3. Electoral System Effects on Party Systems -- Matthew S. Shugart and Rein Taagepera -- 4. Party System Effects on Electoral Systems -- Josep M. Colomer -- 5. Electoral System Design in New Democracies -- John M. Carey -- 6. Electoral System Change -- Alan Renwick -- Part II. Issues and Representation -- 7. Social Diversity, Electoral Systems, and the Party System -- Robert Moser, Ethan Scheiner, and Heather Stoll -- 8. Electoral Systems and Ethnic Minority Representation -- David Lublin and Shaun Bowler -- 9. Electoral Systems and Women's Representation -- Mona Lena Krook -- 10. Electoral Systems and Voter Turnout -- Daniel M. Smith -- 11. Electoral Systems and Citizen-Elite Ideological Congruence -- Matthew Golder and Benjamin Ferland -- 12. Electoral Systems and Issue Polarization -- James F. Adams and Nathan J. Rexford -- Part III. Electoral Systems and the Wider Political System -- 13. Portfolio-maximizing Strategic Voting in Parliamentary Elections -- Gary W. Cox -- 14. Presidential and Legislative Elections -- Mark P. Jones -- 15. Electoral Systems and Legislative Organization -- Shane Martin -- 16. Electoral Systems and Roles in the Legislative Arena -- Audrey André and Sam Depauw -- 17. Electoral Systems and Constituency Service -- Brian F. Crisp and William M. Simoneau -- 18. Direct Democracy and Referendums -- Matt Qvortrup -- 19. Electoral Systems in Authoritarian States -- Jennifer Gandhi and Abigail L. Heller -- Part IV. Electoral Systems and Research Design -- 20. Election Data and Levels of Analysis -- Ken Kollman -- 21. Experimental Research Design in the Study of Electoral Systems -- Joshua Tucker and Dominik Duell -- 22. Reconciling Approaches in the Study of Mixed-Member Electoral Systems -- Erik S. Herron, Kuniaki Nemoto, and Misa Nishikawa -- Part V. Holding Elections -- 23. Election Administration -- Thad E. Hall -- 24. Electoral Systems and Electoral Integrity -- Pippa Norris -- 25. Electoral Systems and Redistricting -- Lisa Handley -- 26. Electoral Systems and Campaign Finance -- Joel W. Johnson -- Part VI. Electoral Systems in Context -- 27. Electoral Systems in Context: The Netherlands -- Kristof Jacobs -- 28. Electoral Systems in Context: Israel -- Reuven Y. Hazan, Reut Itzkovitch-Malka, and Gideon Rahat -- 29. Electoral Systems in Context: Finland -- Åsa von Schoultz -- 30. Electoral Systems in Context: United Kingdom -- Thomas Carl Lundberg -- 31. Electoral Systems in Context: Ireland -- Michael Marsh -- 32. Electoral Systems in Context: France -- Verónica Hoyo -- 33. Electoral Systems in Context: India -- Adam Ziegfeld -- 34. Electoral Systems in Context: United States -- Steven L. Taylor -- 35. Electoral Systems in Context: Canada -- Louis Massicotte -- 36. Electoral Systems in Context: Australia -- Ian McAllister and Toni Makkai -- 37. Electoral Systems in Context: Germany -- Thomas Zittel -- Part VII. Electoral Systems in the Context of Reform -- 38. Electoral Systems in Context: New Zealand -- Jack Vowles -- 39. Electoral Systems in Context: Japan -- Kuniaki Nemoto -- 40. Electoral Systems in Context: Italy -- Gianluca Passarelli -- 41. Electoral Systems in Context: Colombia -- Steven L. Taylor and Matthew S. Shugart -- Part VIII. Electoral Systems in the Context of New Democracies -- 42. Electoral Systems in Context: Ukraine -- Erik S. Herron -- 43. Electoral Systems in Context: Indonesia -- Nathan Allen -- 44. Electoral Systems in Context: South Africa -- Karen E. Ferree

Electoral Systems examines the six principle types of electoral system currently in use in more than seventy of the world's democracies. A common format is adopted throughout, dealing with explanations of how the system operates and its effects on the political system. Electoral Systems examines the six principle types of electoral system currently in use in more than seventy of the world's democracies. A common format is adopted throughout, dealing with explanations of how the system operates and its effects on the political system.

The study of elections, voting behavior and public opinion are arguably among the most prominent and intensively researched sub-fields within Political Science. It is an evolving sub-field, both in terms of theoretical focus and in particular, technical developments and has made a considerable impact on popular understanding of the core components of liberal democracies in terms of electoral systems and outcomes, changes in public opinion and the aggregation of interests. This handbook details the key developments and state of the art research across elections, voting behavior and the public opinion by providing both an advanced overview of each core area and engaging in debate about the relative merits of differing approaches in a comprehensive and accessible way. Bringing geographical scope and depth, with comparative chapters that draw on material from across the globe, it will be a key reference point both for advanced level students and researchers developing knowledge and producing new material in these sub-fields and beyond. The Routledge Handbook of Elections, Voting Behavior and Public Opinion is an authoritative and key reference text for students, academics and researchers engaged in the study of electoral research, public opinion and voting behavior.

The Oxford Handbooks of American Politics are the essential guide to the study of American political life in the 21st Century. With engaging contributions from the major figures in the field The Oxford Handbook of American Elections and Political Behavior provides the key point of reference for anyone working in American Politics today