Author: John M. Carey | Journal of Democracy

John M. Carey is John Wentworth Professor in the Social Sciences at Dartmouth College.

January 2012, Volume 23, Issue 1

Debating Electoral Systems: Getting Elections Wrong

Evidence from waves of democratization shows proportional election systems, however imperfect, to be the better option in most contexts.

October 2011, Volume 22, Issue 4

Comparing the Arab Revolts: The Impact of Election Systems

Methods of electing legislatures are fraught with consequences for the shape and quality of democracy, and must balance a number of competing goals. Amid the current political ferment of the Arab world, what kinds of electoral systems are emerging and what will they mean for democratic hopes there?

July 1996, Volume 7, Issue 3

Crafting Constitutions

John M. Carey

A review of Comparative Constitutional Engineering: An Inquiry into Structures, Incentives and Outcomes, by Giovanni Sartori.

Democratization and Authoritarianism in the Arab World

The uprisings that swept the Arab world beginning in 2010 toppled four entrenched rulers and seemed to create a political opening in a region long impervious to democratization.