1st Edition

A Short History of Electoral Systems in Western Europe (Routledge Library Editions: Political Science Volume 22)

By D. W. Bebbington Copyright 1980
    256 Pages
    by Routledge

    246 Pages
    by Routledge

    This book provides a concise and accessible account of the historical experience of European parliaments – why different electoral systems were adopted, how they have functioned, how they have affected the development of political parties, and in what respects they have been found over time to be either suitable or unsatisfactory. The book begins with a summary of the main electoral systems, analysing and re-assessing each in the light of historical experience. The core of the book, however, is a country-by-country account of the systems which have operated in each of the main West European countries, in the context of their own constitutional, political and social developments.

    Part 1: Electoral Systems  1. The Earlier Electoral Systems  2. Party-List Systems of Proportional Representation  3. Proportionality  4. Voting for Individuals  5. The Single Transferable Vote  Part 2: Belgium and The Netherlands  6. Belgium  7. The Netherlands  Part 3: The Nordic Countries  8. Denmark  9. Norway  10. Sweden 11. Finland  Part 4: Austria and Switzerland  12. Austria  13. Switzerland  Part 5: The Great Powers on the Continent  14. Italy  15. Germany  16. France  Part 6: The United Kingdom and Ireland  17. The U.K  18. The Republic of Ireland

    Biography

    Andrew McLaren Carstairs