The “Representation” series is a landmark collection bringing together leading scholars to examine one of democracy's most consequential yet often-overlooked arenas: how we design electoral systems. Volume 1,
Electoral Laws & Their Political Consequences, offers a comprehensive analysis of how the rules governing elections shape political outcomes in ways that extend far beyond the ballot box.
Edited by Bernard Grofman and Arend Lijphart, the book addresses a critical gap in political science. Despite the enormous impact electoral systems have on party formation, representation, and democratic governance, serious comparative study of these systems had been largely neglected for decades. This collection reverses that trend, presenting cutting-edge research from multiple disciplines including political science, geography, mathematics, and economics.
The chapters cover a remarkable range of practical and theoretical concerns. Early sections examine how different electoral systems affect the number of political parties that can viably compete. Drawing on Duverger's foundational work, contributors analyze whether plurality voting truly produces two-party systems while proportional representation encourages multiparty competition. The analysis moves beyond simple generalizations to explore the specific conditions under which these patterns hold or break down.
Subsequent sections evaluate proportional and semi-proportional systems in detail, including case studies of Australia's preferential voting system and comparisons of limited voting in Japan and Spain. The book examines innovative approaches to ethnic representation in diverse democracies like Belgium, Cyprus, and Lebanon, showing how electoral design can either promote or hinder minority political participation.
A particularly valuable section applies geographic analysis to electoral outcomes, exploring how the spatial distribution of voters and the drawing of district boundaries affect representation. Contributors investigate the famous "cube law" of electoral representation and examine whether third parties receive proportional representation under different systems.
The collection also addresses practical mechanics often ignored in theoretical discussions: ballot format, campaign financing rules, the length of electoral terms, and whether officials face term limits. A chapter on nonpartisan ballots in American cities explores how removing party labels from ballots affected political outcomes. Another examines the historical rise and fall of proportional representation in American municipalities, revealing how political actors' self-interest—not abstract principles—typically determines electoral system adoption and abandonment.
Social choice theorists contribute analysis of how different voting procedures affect candidate strategy and election outcomes, with discussion of approval voting and other alternatives to traditional plurality systems.
This book serves scholars, students, policymakers, and anyone seeking to understand how electoral rules function as what one contributor calls "the most specific manipulative instrument of politics." By combining historical analysis, empirical research, and theoretical frameworks, it demonstrates that electoral systems are never neutral technical matters—they are fundamentally political choices with profound consequences for democratic representation and governance.
