Subject: Electoral systems | Journal of Democracy

July 2019, Volume 30, Issue 3

Are Strong Parties the Answer?

Didi Kuo

A review of Responsible Parties: Saving Democracy from Itself by Frances McCall Rosenbluth and Ian Shapiro.

April 2019, Volume 30, Issue 2

Catalonia: The Perils of Majoritarianism

Sean Mueller

Spain’s system of Autonomous Communities had functioned fairly smoothly for decades following the country’s democratic transition, but events in Catalonia are putting it under unprecedented strain.

January 2019, Volume 30, Issue 1

How to Un-Rig an Election

Alberto Simpser

A review of How to Rig an Election by Nic Cheeseman and Brian Klaas.

July 2018, Volume 29, Issue 3

Enrolling India

Šumit Ganguly

A review of How India Became Democratic: Citizenship and the Making of the Universal Franchise by Ornit Shani.

April 2018, Volume 29, Issue 2

Brazil: The Costs of Multiparty Presidentialism

The massive corruption revealed by Brazil’s “Operation Car Wash” points to fundamental flaws in multiparty presidential systems, where presidents must find ways to build coalitions in fragmented legislatures.

January 2018, Volume 29, Issue 1

Reevaluating Runoffs in Latin America

Cynthia McClintock

The worldwide popularity of runoff rules for presidential elections has grown strikingly in recent decades. In Latin America, contrary to scholarly expectations, this shift has had important benefits for democracy.

January 2018, Volume 29, Issue 1

Timor-Leste Votes: Parties and Patronage

In July 2017, Timor-Leste held its third parliamentary elections since independence. The party-centered campaign featured both enduring legacies of the revolutionary struggle and a distinct form of political patronage.

October 2017, Volume 28, Issue 4

Elections in the Hardest Places: The Case of Somalia

Ken Menkhaus

Is pressing a troubled, intensely fragile “postconflict” country to hold elections a good idea? Somalia did so in late 2016 and early 2017, and the process was not pretty. But was it better than the alternative?

July 2017, Volume 28, Issue 3

India’s Democracy at 70: The Impact of Instant Universal Suffrage

Read the full essay here. When the authors of India’s Constitution took the extraordinarily bold step of establishing universal suffrage, thus giving the right to vote to all adult citizens, India became the world’s first large democracy to adopt universal adult suffrage from its very inception. We call India’s move “instant universal suffrage,” and distinguish…

April 2017, Volume 28, Issue 2

The 2016 U.S. Election: The Nomination Game

James W. Ceaser

Since the 1970s, the U.S. presidential-nomination system has become more democratic, making primary elections crucial, reducing the influence of political parties, and making it easier for outsiders to win.

April 2017, Volume 28, Issue 2

The 2016 U.S. Election: Fears and Facts About Electoral Integrity

Charles Stewart III

In 2016, concerns about the administration of elections in the United States generated highly charged partisan debates. Are the worries justified?

October 2014, Volume 25, Issue 4

Manipulating Term Limits in Latin America

More and more Latin American countries have sought to relax or even eliminate presidential term limits. What are the consequences for democracy?

October 2012, Volume 23, Issue 4

The Ethnocracy Trap

Lise Morjé Howard

A political system in which power is formally divided among ethnic or sectarian groups may seem like a good idea in conflict-ridden societies, but it bears a high price and makes true democratic transition harder to achieve.

July 2012, Volume 23, Issue 3

The Surprising Success of Multiparty Presidentialism

Until recently, political scientists argued that democracy had poor chances of survival in a multiparty presidential regime. Latin America’s recent experience tells a different story.

January 2012, Volume 23, Issue 1

Debating Electoral Systems: Getting Majoritarianism Right

Timothy M. Meisburger

Contrary to popular wisdom, emerging democracies might be better off with a majoritarian electoral system rather than one based on proportional representation.

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 2008, Volume 19, Issue 3

The Crisis in Kenya

Maina Kiai

For years Kenya was regarded as one of Africa’s sturdiest democracies. The fraudulent 2007 presidential election, however, exposed the fragility of Kenya’s democratic framework.

April 2006, Volume 17, Issue 2

Electoral Systems Today: A Global Snapshot

A wide variety of electoral systems is used around the world, but in recent years the trend has been toward systems based upon greater proportionality.

April 2006, Volume 17, Issue 2

Electoral Systems Today: Iraq’s Year of Voting Dangerously

Iraq’s three elections in 2005 highlighted the role—but also the limits—of electoral-system design in managing potentially polarizing divisions.

April 2006, Volume 17, Issue 2

Electoral Systems Today: The Curious Case of Afghanistan

Andrew Reynolds

Afghanistan’s electoral system is both unusual and unsuited to the country’s political circumstances. How was it chosen and what are its effects on the country’s politics?

April 2006, Volume 17, Issue 2

Electoral Systems Today: The Politics of Reform in Japan and Taiwan

Jih-wen Lin

For decades, Japan and Taiwan elected their legislatures using the single nontransferable vote. Recently, however, both countries adopted new electoral systems. What explains this trend?

July 2003, Volume 14, Issue 3

Lessons from Bosnia and Herzegovinia: The Limits of Electoral Engineering

This troubled corner of Europe has become a test of the ability of outside experts and carefully designed institutions to overcome a legacy of intense ethnocommunal conflict. How are they faring?

April 2002, Volume 13, Issue 2

Electoral Systems for Divided Societies

Benjamin Reilly

Political scientists have long theorized that the use of “preferential” election systems can help promote successful conflict management in divided societies. As it turns out, evidence from five real-world cases supports this conclusion.

October 2001, Volume 12, Issue 4

Public Opinion and Direct Democracy

Direct democracy has come in for praise as being closer to the people’s will than representative democracy. A closer look at the sources of public support, however, reveals some surprises.

July 2001, Volume 12, Issue 3

Two Models of Democracy

Scott Mainwaring

A review of Patterns of Democracy: Government Forms and Performance in Thirty-Six Countries by Arend Lijphart and Elections as Instruments of Democracy: Majoritarian and Proportional Views, by G. Bingham Powell, Jr.