Duverger's Law of Plurality Voting

The Logic of Party Competition in Canada, India, the United Kingdom and the United States

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Political, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science
Cover of the book Duverger's Law of Plurality Voting by , Springer New York
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: ISBN: 9780387097206
Publisher: Springer New York Publication: March 5, 2009
Imprint: Springer Language: English
Author:
ISBN: 9780387097206
Publisher: Springer New York
Publication: March 5, 2009
Imprint: Springer
Language: English

Maurice Duverger is arguably the most distinguished French political scientist of the last century, but his major impact has, strangely enough, been largely in the English-speaking world. His book, Political Parties, first translated into English in 1954, has been very influential in both the party politics literature (which continues to make use of his typology of party organization) and in the electoral systems literature. His chief contributions there deal with what have come to be called in his honor Duverger’s Law and Duverger’s Hypothesis. The first argues that countries with plurality-based electoral methods will tend to become two-party systems; the second argues that countries using proportional representation (PR) methods will tend to become multi-party systems. Duverger also identifies specific mechanisms that will produce these effects, conventionally referred to as “mechanical effects”, and “psychological effects”. However, while Duverger’s Hypothesis concerning the link between PR and multipartism is now widely accepted; the empirical evidence that plurality voting results in two-party systems is remarkably weak—with the U.S. the most notable exception.

The chapters in this volume consider national-level evidence for the operation of Duverger’s law in the world’s largest, longest-lived and most successful democracies of Britain, Canada, India and the United States. One set of papers involves looking at the overall evidence for Duverger’s Law in these countries; the other set deals with evidence for the mechanical and incentive effects predicted by Duverger. The result is an incisive analysis of electoral and party dynamics.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Maurice Duverger is arguably the most distinguished French political scientist of the last century, but his major impact has, strangely enough, been largely in the English-speaking world. His book, Political Parties, first translated into English in 1954, has been very influential in both the party politics literature (which continues to make use of his typology of party organization) and in the electoral systems literature. His chief contributions there deal with what have come to be called in his honor Duverger’s Law and Duverger’s Hypothesis. The first argues that countries with plurality-based electoral methods will tend to become two-party systems; the second argues that countries using proportional representation (PR) methods will tend to become multi-party systems. Duverger also identifies specific mechanisms that will produce these effects, conventionally referred to as “mechanical effects”, and “psychological effects”. However, while Duverger’s Hypothesis concerning the link between PR and multipartism is now widely accepted; the empirical evidence that plurality voting results in two-party systems is remarkably weak—with the U.S. the most notable exception.

The chapters in this volume consider national-level evidence for the operation of Duverger’s law in the world’s largest, longest-lived and most successful democracies of Britain, Canada, India and the United States. One set of papers involves looking at the overall evidence for Duverger’s Law in these countries; the other set deals with evidence for the mechanical and incentive effects predicted by Duverger. The result is an incisive analysis of electoral and party dynamics.

More books from Springer New York

Cover of the book Clusters, Orders, and Trees: Methods and Applications by
Cover of the book Teaching Mindfulness by
Cover of the book Essentials of Anatomic Pathology by
Cover of the book Advanced Topics in the Arithmetic of Elliptic Curves by
Cover of the book A Contrario Line Segment Detection by
Cover of the book Imaging-Guided Interventional Breast Techniques by
Cover of the book Calculus on Normed Vector Spaces by
Cover of the book Treatment of Chronic Pain by Integrative Approaches by
Cover of the book Principles of Perinatal-Neonatal Metabolism by
Cover of the book Non-coding RNAs and Cancer by
Cover of the book Studies on the Cornea and Lens by
Cover of the book Helium Ion Microscopy by
Cover of the book The Retina and Circadian Rhythms by
Cover of the book Urea-SCR Technology for deNOx After Treatment of Diesel Exhausts by
Cover of the book Family Medicine by
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy