Electoral Systems: A Comparative Introduction

David M. Farrell

Palgrave Macmillan, Feb 10, 2001 - Political Science - 241 pages

Electoral Systems examines the six principal types of electoral systems currently in use in more than 50 of the world's democracies: single member plurality, alternative vote, two-round systems, list, single transferable vote, and the currently fashionable "mixed" systems. A common format is adopted throughout, dealing with explanations of how the system operates and its effects on the political system. The book concludes with three chapters assessing the (systemic and strategic) consequences of electoral systems, the factors behind selecting certain electoral systems over others, and the question of whether there is a "trade-off" between the proportionality and stability.

What people are saying

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - ndolson - LibraryThing

I use this as the book for my Political Parties and Electoral Systems class. The students really seem to enjoy it. Its written in a lay-person friendly format. Very good for a first time in the literature.

About the author

David M. Farrell holds a Jean Monnet Chair in European Politics at the University of Manchester.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Electoral Systems: A Comparative Introduction; Electoral Systems: A Comparative Introduction, David M. Farrell
• Author: David M. Farrell
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan, 2001
• ISBN: 033380161X, 9780333801611
• Length: 241 pages
• Subjects: Political Science / International Relations / General; Political Science / Political Ideologies / Democracy; Political Science / Political Process / Campaigns & Elections