Mixed-Member Electoral Systems
The Best of Both Worlds?
Shugart, Matthew Soberg University of California, San Diego
Wattenberg, Martin P. University of California, Irvine
Print publication date: 2003 (this edition)
Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: November 2003
Print ISBN-13: 978-0-19-925768-3




25 Conclusion: Are Mixed-Member Systems the Best of Both Worlds?
doi:10.1093/019925768X.003.0026

Matthew Soberg Shugart
Martin P. Wattenberg
Abstract: Reviews the experiences of several existing mixed-member electoral systems in an effort to assess the likely prospects for the continued spread of this mode of electoral reform. There are three sections. The first, ‘Inherent and Contingent Factors in Electoral Reform’, looks at extreme electoral systems and systemic failure, act-contingent explanations of pressures for reform, and outcome-contingent explanations of political compromise leading to reform. The second section, ‘The Best of Both Worlds’, looks at the interparty and intraparty dimensions of mixed-member electoral systems, and offers an assessment of these systems. The third section briefly assesses the prospects for continued spread of the mixed-member idea.

Keywords: act-contingencies, assessment, contingent factors, electoral reform, electoral systems, extreme electoral systems, interparty dimension, intraparty dimension, mixed-member electoral systems, outcome-contingencies, political compromise, prospects, spread, systemic failure,

You have access to the abstract for this item.     You have access to the full text for this item.


 
Privacy Policy and Legal Notice © Oxford University Press, . All rights reserved.
Quick Search Form

Contents
 
scroll up fast
scroll up
 
scroll down
scroll down fast
Full Book Contents
Preface
Introduction: The Electoral Reform of the Twenty-First Century?
Part I Placing Mixed-Member Systems in the World of Electoral Systems
1 Mixed-Member Electoral Systems: A Definition and Typology
2 “Extreme” Electoral Systems and the Appeal of the Mixed-Member Alternative
Part II Origins of Mixed-Member Systems
3 Germany: The Mixed-Member System as a Political Compromise
4 Choosing MMP in New Zealand: Explaining the 1993 Electoral Reform
5 Reforming the Italian Electoral Law, 1993
6 The Politics of Reform in Israel: How the Israeli Mixed System Came to Be
7 The Causes of Electoral Reform in Japan
8 The Sources of Electoral Reform in Venezuela
9 Electoral Reform in Bolivia: Origins of the Mixed-Member Proportional System
10 Reforming Electoral Systems in Mexico
11 Hedging Against Uncertainty: Regime Change and the Origins of Hungary's Mixed-Member System
12 Compromise Amidst Political Conflict: The Origins of Russia's Mixed-Member System
Part III Consequences of Mixed-Member Systems
13 The Political Consequences of Germany's Mixed-Member System: Personalization at the Grass Roots?
14 An Initial Assessment of the Consequences of MMP in New Zealand
15 Mixed Electoral Rules, Partisan Realignment, and Party System Change in Italy
16 The Israeli Mixed Electoral System: Unexpected Reciprocal and Cumulative Consequences
17 The Consequences of Electoral Reform in Japan
18 The Legislative Consequences of MMP Electoral Rules in Venezuela
19 The Mixed-Member Proportional System and Its Consequences in Bolivia
20 The Consequences of Mexico's Mixed-Member Electoral System, 1988–1997
21 Evaluating Hungary's Mixed-Member Electoral System
22 The Consequences of Russia's Mixed-Member Electoral System
Part IV Prospects for Reform in Other Countries
23 The United Kingdom Comes of Age: The British Electoral Reform “Revolution” Of the 1990S
24 Electoral Rules and Electoral Reform in Canada
25 Conclusion: Are Mixed-Member Systems the Best of Both Worlds?
Bibliography
Index
 
Return to top of list
SUBSCRIBER