Elections and electoral systems
Studies of turnout as a ‘habit’ seem to overestimate the significance of self-perpetuation of electoral participation
Electoral participation is frequently discussed as a ‘habit’ formed during a citizen’s young adulthood but there is debate over how this develops. In a recent study, Maciej A. Górecki explored the mechanism that lies behind the process of ‘habit formation’. His findings challenge ideas that voting habits are shaped by early experience of participating in […]
The growth of informal EU decision-making has empowered centrist parties
Legislative decision-making in the European Union is increasingly shifting toward informal secluded arenas, to allow for the early adoption of laws. Edoardo Bressanelli, Christel Koop and Christine Reh assess the implications of this trend for the behaviour of political parties in the European Parliament. They find that informalisation has strengthened the cohesion of the three […]
The US presidential primary system is no way to run a democracy
Following the drama of last week’s Iowa caucuses, Michael Patrick Cullinane argues the primary system has a deeply insidious effect on America’s democracy and writes that there are obvious changes, such as grouping states in large blocs and standardising ballot processes across states, which could significantly improve the selection process. Similar PostsThe 2016 election is seeing the return of the […]
The EU’s renegotiation plan represents a watering down of some of Britain’s demands
After months of touring European capitals and several long days holed up in Downing Street, David Cameron, the UK prime minister, can finally reveal the fruits of his labour. Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, has published a draft plan on renegotiating the UK’s place in the EU. This much-anticipated document, which makes it more […]
‘There is no point having a token woman’: Gender and representation in the ‘new’ Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland continues to lag behind the rest of the UK when it comes to female representation in political life. However, in the elevation of Arlene Foster to First Minister, Northern Ireland joins Scotland in having a female First Minister. Here, Sophie Whiting and Maire Braniff try to explain the low number of female Northern Irish politicians, and […]
How democratic are the UK’s two proportional electoral systems?
As part of the 2017 Audit of UK Democracy, Patrick Dunleavy and DA staff examine the two proportional (PR) electoral systems now used in the UK, albeit for smaller elections – Scottish and Northern Irish local government, and choosing Members of the European Parliament (although the latter will come to an end when Britain leaves […]
By pre-announcing his resignation, David Cameron has made himself something of a “lame duck”
David Cameron announced prior to the last General Election that he intended to retire as Prime Minister, using an odd analogy about a breakfast cereal in doing so. Here, Kingsley Purdam, Dave Richards, and Nick Turnbull argue that Cameron has inadvertently created a situation similar to that faced by second term US presidents, that of […]
How democratic are the reformed electoral systems used in mayoral and devolved elections?
As part of the 2017 Audit of UK Democracy, Patrick Dunleavy and DA staff examine how democratic the two big reformed electoral systems used in the UK – the ‘Additional Members System (AMS)’ and the ‘Supplementary Vote (SV)’ are, and how successful they have been in showing the way for more modern electoral systems under British political […]
How democratic is the UK’s ‘Westminster Plurality Rule’ electoral system?
As part of the 2017 Audit of UK Democracy, Patrick Dunleavy and DA staff examine a topic of foundational importance for any liberal democracy – how well does its electoral system (in this case the Westminster Plurality Rule, aka First Past the Post) convert votes into seats? Photo: Jessica Cross via a CC-BY 2.0 licence Similar […]
The Vote at 16 in 2016: Three things campaigners must do now
Hopes that 16 and 17-year olds might be allowed to vote in the EU referendum were quickly quashed by the government at the end of 2015. Benjamin Bowman considers where those pushing for the extension of suffrage should go from here. He argues that campaigners need to refocus on the core issues in the new year and […]
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