Electoral Systems - A Theoretical and Comparative Introduction (Hardcover, New)

Elections, the process by which representatives are chosen to vote and act on our behalf, have come to be accepted as an integral part of most democratic systems. But there are many varieties of electoral system: proportional representation and first-past-the-post are two very different systems currently in operation. The issue of whether the rules governing the current electoral process are in need of reform provokes perennial debate. Andrew Reeve and Alan Ware attempt to inform this debate by analyzing such critical questions as the role an electoral system plays in allocating values in a society, the significance of the territorial dimension, and the connection between democracy and the electoral process. The authors analyze these questions from both a comparative and a theoretical standpoint. They look at electoral systems in relation to democratic theory, examine justifications for some aspects of modern electoral rules, and link the study of electoral systems to that of voting systems. They compare parliamentary elections with various other kinds of election, and look at the differences between British experience and that of other countries. This book should be of interest to