Redesigning Cases and Indicators

Abstract

The presentation of the debate about electoral systems through the previous chapters has been supported by a number of examples and by anticipations of empirical data. Most quoted information and data come from the main available theoretical contributions, namely Duverger, Cox and Sartori, whose works also provide model qualitative comparative tests of electoral rules’ effects. While we highly value the latter, our focus here will be a systematic quantitative test, of the kind pioneered by Rae (1967) and brought to maturity by Lijphart’s (1994a) research. Indeed, the latter work will be our own reference point, though we will introduce more than a few changes in its research design, indicators and independent variables, and — as a consequence — will end up with partly different, and some new, conclusions.