The Oxford Handbook of Electoral Systems

by Erik S. Herron (Editor), Robert J. Pekkanen (Editor), Matthew S. Shugart (Editor)

No subject is more central to the study of politics than elections. All across the globe, elections are a focal point for citizens, the media, and politicians long before--and sometimes long after--they occur. Electoral systems, the rules about how voters' preferences are translated into election results, profoundly shape the results not only of individual elections but also of many other important political outcomes, including party systems, candidate selection, and policy choices. Electoral systems have been a hot topic in established democracies from the UK and Italy to New Zealand and Japan. Even in the United States, events like the 2016 presidential election and court decisions such as Citizens United have sparked advocates to promote change in the Electoral College, redistricting, and campaign-finance rules. Elections and electoral systems have also intensified as a field of academic study, with groundbreaking work over the past decade sharpening our understanding of how
electoral systems fundamentally shape the connections among citizens, government, and policy. This volume provides an in-depth exploration of the origins and effects of electoral systems.

Genres: Politics

1016 pages, Hardcover

Published April 12, 2018

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elections are the lifeblood to democratic countries, infusing not only a platform for political power, but also reflecting the sentiments of those who cast ballots. In this massive tome, Erik S. Herron and his fellow editors seek to push that idea forward with a collection of essays to argue the many and minute points of elections around the world. While there are many types of elections, none is seen to the the ‘best’, though some would look at results and deem certain systems to be worse than others. Whatever the argument, Herron insists that electoral systems are as complex as the countries who utilise them.

In a series of essays (chapters), numerous academics explore a host of issues surrounding elections: gender reflection, socio-economic determinants in different systems, as well as how certain systems stack up against one another. I will not bore the review reader with some of the intricacies of this, but there is definitely a clash between Proportional Representation, Single Transferable Vote, and Plurality. All three can bring about vastly different results and flavour a country with representation that could surely shape bills in many ways.

Some of the latter chapters explore the electoral systems in different countries, all of which use a variety of voting methods. The exploration adds new layers of contrast by dividing these countries into established systems, reforming systems, and newly democratised systems. The chapters found therein enrich the discussion and debate for all who are interested.

True, this is a highly academic piece and will likely only draw the interest of the reader who loves such topics (such as myself), but it is worth mentioning that while most people live with tunnel vision about their own electoral system—if that, for I know many are turned off by politics—that there are so many forms and ways of applying them is surely baffling. It supports the argument that our world is filled with so many interesting and unique governments because of all the electoral permutations that have taken place. I will admit that I did skim the text, extracting interesting bits throughout, though there are substantial sections perfect for study or academic reference that I would surely recommend to those who need them, as the information is both detailed and on point. Interestingly enough, I scoured the text for a chapter on elections of a sovereign country determined by another and fell short, though I am sure a future edition will exemplify the new American trend!