Duvager’s law – more guidelines than actual rules?Wherever there are two dominant political parties, there is a steady stream of new parties hoping to break the system. Britain has had several over the years and America’s latest is the Forward Party of...Posted 09 Mar 2022
Does proportional representation lead to higher turnout?A healthy democracy requires healthy levels of democratic participation – the most crucial element of which is turnout at general elections. But Britain has one of the lowest turnout rates in the west – a...Posted 10 Feb 2022
How are the members of upper houses chosen around the world?Many countries use a bicameral political system – meaning that they have two chambers in their parliament. These parliaments are comprised of a lower house where the government is formed and day-to-day politics is carried...Posted 27 Jan 2022
How are Prime Ministers chosen around the world?With pressure mounting on Boris Johnson, it’s looking increasingly possible that Britain could well soon have a new Prime Minister. Who it would be, would be a decision for Conservative MPs and, possibly, Conservative party...Posted 19 Jan 2022
How are Presidents elected around Europe?2022 is a big year for presidential elections in Europe – with the Italian, German and French presidencies all open over the next few months.Posted 05 Jan 2022
As Portugal heads to the polls – how do Portuguese elections work?Portugal is holding a snap election at the end of the month after parliament rejected the budget proposed by António Costa’s government last autumn.Posted 04 Jan 2022
Does First Past the Post stop extremists getting into parliaments?If you listen to supporters of first past the post, you might be forgiven for thinking that British voters are just itching to elect dozens of far-left and far-right MPs - with PR just waiting...Posted 15 Dec 2021
What is the ideal number of MPs per constituency in proportional representation?When choosing a proportional voting system, one of the most important decisions is the number of MPs each constituency elects – its ‘district magnitude.Posted 26 Nov 2021
What’s the difference between open and closed list proportional representation?When discussing proportional voting systems, or voting systems in general, we usually talk about how they allocate seats to political parties. But parliaments are more than parties and it also matters how they decide which...Posted 15 Nov 2021
Was there a referendum on proportional representation?Whenever a conversation online comes to proportional representation, you can set your watch by the appearance of someone claiming that ‘we had a referendum on that!’. Advocates of the way things are in Westminster argue...Posted 28 Oct 2021