The choice of Electoral System is
one of the most important institutional decisions for any democracy. The choice
of a particular electoral system has a profound effect on the future political
life of the country concerned, and electoral systems, once chosen, often remain
fairly constant as political interests solidify around and respond to the
incentives presented by them. However, while conscious design has become far
more prevalent recently, traditionally it has been rare for electoral systems
to be consciously and deliberately selected.
The global movement towards
democratic governance in the 1980s and 1990s, which stimulated a new urgency in
the search for enduring models of appropriate representative institutions and a
fresh re-evaluation of electoral systems, has increased dramatically in the
early years of this century. This process was encouraged by the realization
that the choice of political institutions can have a significant impact on the
wider political system. Electoral systems are today viewed as one of the most
influential of all political institutions, and of crucial importance to broader
issues of governance.
The Electoral Systems Encyclopedia topic focuses
on the design, mechanisms, and effects of different electoral systems on
national, local and supranational levels. It identifies, describes and
classifies 12 distinct electoral systems and discusses their relationship with
the larger institutional framework as well as their impact on administrative
issues.
