Synopses & Reviews
Sarah Birch assesses the impact of electoral system design on political change in post-communist Europe. Since the collapse of communism in Central and Eastern Europe between 1989 and 1991, virtually all the states in the region have undertaken significant electoral reform. This study traces the multiple links between the evolution of electoral systems and political change and establishes patterns in the effects of electoral system design on post-communist developments.
Synopsis
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.
About the Author
Sarah Birch is in the Department of Government, University of Essex.
Table of Contents
Part I: Theoretical and Methodological Preliminaries * Electoral Systems and Post-Communist Transition * The Description of Electoral Systems and the Measurement of their Effects * Part II: Electoral Inclusion * Electoral Participation * Representational Inclusion * Part III: Electoral Systems and Political Parties * Party System Volatility and Stability * Party Families * Part IV: Electoral Systems and Parliaments * Channeling Social Group Access to Parliament * The Political Composition of Parliament * Conclusion