Preference Representation and the Influence of Political Parties in Majoritarian vs. Proportional Systems: An Empirical Test
24 Pages Posted: 23 Jul 2012
Date Written: July 23, 2012
Abstract
Electoral systems determine the role party affiliations play in political representation. According to conventional expectations, politicians' party affiliations should influence political representation when they are elected under a proportional system. In contrast, majoritarian systems force politicians to converge to the median position of their constituents, and party affiliation should play no or at least a much smaller role. We test these predictions with unique data within a common party system by matching referenda decisions of constituents with voting behavior of their representatives, who are elected either by a majoritarian or proportional system.
Keywords: Constituents' Preferences, Party Influence, Median Voter Model, Political Economy
JEL Classification: D7, H7
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
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