Competing Principals? Legislative Representation in List Proportional Representation Systems

Abstract

We develop a new framework to study legislative representation in list proportional representation
(PR) systems. Our model studies a legislator’s incentives to balance the competing
interests of party leaders and local voters under a variety of list PR systems. We consider
open and closed lists, as well as flexible lists—in which both rank assignments and preference
votes determine the order in which seats are filled. We find that more flexibility can
worsen local representation. List flexibility also acts as a key mediator of the effect of voter
partisanship on party cohesion. And, our analysis reveals that higher district magnitude
encourages representatives to toe the party line under all ballot systems.

Keywords: Electoral Systems, Legislative Representation, List Proportional Representation

JEL Classification: D72, D78