Electoral Rules and Constitutional Structures As Constraints on Corruption
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Proxy Voting Guidelines Benchmark Policy Recommendations TITLE
UNITED STATES Proxy Voting Guidelines Benchmark Policy Recommendations TITLE Effective for Meetings on or after February 1, 2021 Published November 19, 2020 ISS GOVERNANCE .COM © 2020 | Institutional Shareholder Services and/or its affiliates UNITED STATES PROXY VOTING GUIDELINES TABLE OF CONTENTS Coverage ................................................................................................................................................................ 7 1. Board of Directors ......................................................................................................................................... 8 Voting on Director Nominees in Uncontested Elections ........................................................................................... 8 Independence ....................................................................................................................................................... 8 ISS Classification of Directors – U.S. ................................................................................................................. 9 Composition ........................................................................................................................................................ 11 Responsiveness ................................................................................................................................................... 12 Accountability .................................................................................................................................................... -
Croatia: Three Elections and a Funeral
Conflict Studies Research Centre G83 REPUBLIC OF CROATIA Three Elections and a Funeral The Dawn of Democracy at the Millennial Turn? Dr Trevor Waters Introduction 2 President Tudjman Laid To Rest 2 Parliamentary Elections 2/3 January 2000 5 • Background & Legislative Framework • Political Parties & the Political Climate • Media, Campaign, Public Opinion Polls and NGOs • Parliamentary Election Results & International Reaction Presidential Elections - 24 January & 7 February 2000 12 Post Tudjman Croatia - A New Course 15 Annex A: House of Representatives Election Results October 1995 Annex B: House of Counties Election Results April 1997 Annex C: Presidential Election Results June 1997 Annex D: House of Representatives Election Results January 2000 Annex E: Presidential Election Results January/February 2000 1 G83 REPUBLIC OF CROATIA Three Elections and a Funeral The Dawn of Democracy at the Millennial Turn? Dr Trevor Waters Introduction Croatia's passage into the new millennium was marked by the death, on 10 December 1999, of the self-proclaimed "Father of the Nation", President Dr Franjo Tudjman; by make or break Parliamentary Elections, held on 3 January 2000, which secured the crushing defeat of the former president's ruling Croatian Democratic Union, yielded victory for an alliance of the six mainstream opposition parties, and ushered in a new coalition government strong enough to implement far-reaching reform; and by two rounds, on 24 January and 7 February, of Presidential Elections which resulted in a surprising and spectacular victory for the charismatic Stipe Mesić, Yugoslavia's last president, nonetheless considered by many Croats at the start of the campaign as an outsider, a man from the past. -
Simple-Majority Rule and the Size of the Bundestag
Gutenberg School of Management and Economics & Research Unit “Interdisciplinary Public Policy” Discussion Paper Series Simple-majority rule and the size of the Bundestag Salvatore Barbaro (Corresponding author) Anna Specht May 03, 2021 Discussion paper number 2105 Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz Gutenberg School of Management and Economics Jakob-Welder-Weg 9 55128 Mainz Germany https://wiwi.uni-mainz.de/ Contact Details: Salvatore Barbaro Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz Department of Law and Economics 55099 Mainz, Germany [email protected] Anna Specht Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz Department of Law and Economics 55099 Mainz, Germany All discussion papers can be downloaded from http://wiwi.uni-mainz.de/DP Simple-majority rule and the size of the Bundestag Salvatore Barbaro∗ Anna Specht Johannes-Gutenberg University Institute for Policy Evaluation May 3, 2021 ∗Corresponding author · B Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Department of Law and Eco- nomics, 55099 Mainz, Germany k [email protected] 1 Abstract How should an excessively large parliament be effectively reduced in size without violating constitutional principles? This is a question that the Ger- man Bundestag discussed since introducing the 2013 electoral reform until today. Facing a Bundestag consisting of 709 members and facing some public dissatisfaction, a reform to decrease the parliament’s size was adopted in 2020. With the 2017 elections taking place under the new electoral rule, the size would have been 686 instead of 709. However, the opposition filed a lawsuit against the new electoral law with the German Federal Constitutional Court. Aside from legal considerations, the adherence to plurality rule has to be criticised from a social-choice perspective. -
International Election Observation Mission Preliminary Statement
INTERNATIONAL ELECTION OBSERVATION MISSION REPUBLIC OF CROATIA ELECTION TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 2 - 3 January 2000 PRELIMINARY STATEMENT Zagreb, 4 January 2000 – The International Election Observation Mission (IEOM) for the 2-3 January 2000 election to the House of Representatives of the State Parliament of the Republic of Croatia issues this statement of preliminary findings and conclusions. The International Election Observation Mission is a joint effort of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR), the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (PA), and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). Ms. Helle Degn, the OSCE Chairman-in-Office’s Special Representative for the election in Croatia and President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, leads the OSCE Election Observation Mission. Mr. Nikolai Vulchanov heads the OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission. Mr. Daniel Goulet leads the Parliamentary Assembly delegation of the Council of Europe. The preliminary statement is issued before the disposition of complaints and appeals, before the announcement of official election results, and before an analysis of the International Election Observation Mission’s findings was completed. The OSCE/ODIHR will issue a comprehensive report on the parliamentary election within a month after publication of the final results. The Council of Europe delegation will report to the January session of the Parliamentary Assembly. The Election Observation Mission wishes to express appreciation to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Office for Cooperation with the OSCE, the State Election Commission, and the Parliament of the Republic of Croatia for their assistance and cooperation during the course of the observation. -
Und Repräsentationsforschung Unit for the Study Of
Thomas Saalfeld and Ralf Dobmeier: The Bundestag and German Citizens: More Communication, Growing Distance Working Paper 1/2010 Arbeitsstelle Parlamentarismus- und Repräsentationsforschung Unit for the Study of Parliaments and Representation Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg│Feldkirchenstr. 21 │ 96045 Bamberg │Germany www.uni-bamberg.de/comparpol/leistungen/research/arbeitsstelle-fuer-parlamentarismus- und-repraesentationsforschung/ The Bundestag and German Citizens: More Communication, Growing Distance Thomas Saalfeld with Ralf Dobmeier1 Thomas Saalfeld University of Bamberg Faculty of Social Sciences, Economics and Business Administration Feldkirchenstr. 21 96045 Bamberg Germany Email [email protected] Abstract: This contribution examines how links between citizens and Members of the Bundestag have evolved since 1949. The focus will be on institutional incentives relating to the electoral system and the rules of procedure in the Bundestag. In addition, new incentives arising from technological developments (especially internet and Web 2.0 applications) will be explored in their effect on individual parliamentary behaviour vis-a-vis citizens and in the Bundestag’s ‘corporate’ links (i.e., links not based on electoral incentives in the constituencies and the chamber) with citizens. In particular, the development of petitions and electronic petitions will be assessed. While the evidence presented suggests that Bundestag Members have enhanced communication with citizens, this has not halted the decline in popular support for the House. In line with other advanced liberal democracies, trust in parliament is declining as a result of a more critical, less deferential citizenry. Keywords: Bundestag, parliamentary reform, parliamentary practice, parliamentary behaviour, institutional trust Biographical notes: Thomas Saalfeld is Professor of Political Science at the University of Bamberg. -
Nagel Ingredients for Success
INGREDIENTS CONDUCIVE TO SUCCESSFUL (AND LASTING) ELECTORAL REFORM Jack Nagel1 Paper prepared for the Workshop on Electoral Systems, Electoral Reform, and Implications for Democratic Performance Program on American Democracy in Comparative Perspective Stanford University March 14-15, 2014 Distilling from New Zealand's experience from 1984 to 2011, this paper extracts eleven ingredients that I believe were necessary to the success of electoral reform there and that may be equally essential, or at least conducive, to reform in other established democracies, including the United States. Such a long list may seem unwieldy, but the objective here is not scientific parsimony, but pragmatic appreciation of what it takes to succeed in a difficult undertaking. 2 The paper is divided into four parts. The first simply lists the eleven ingredients without elaboration. The second explains how all eleven were crucial to the reform process in New Zealand. The third points to their presence or absence when serious reform attempts failed in Britain and Canada. Part IV discusses whether each ingredient obtains or can be promoted in the U.S. The entire presentation is brief, verging on schematic. Most workshop participants will already be familiar with the history mentioned in Parts II and III, and I intend Part IV mainly as a springboard for discussion. Although some points may apply more generally, I assume a context in which the electoral status quo is a plurality-rule system and reformers advocate a more complex alternative, such as any type of proportional representation for legislative elections or instant-runoff voting (IRV) for single-winner elections. -
Federal Legislators Lead to More Resources for Their Constituencies: Evidence from Exogenous Differences in Seat Allocations*
More Federal Legislators Lead to more Resources for their Constituencies: Evidence from Exogenous Differences in Seat Allocations* Marco Franka David Stadelmanna,b RFCs for Ostrom Workshop participants RFC#1: We are interested in feedback on our presentation of the institutional background (the German voting system; p. 5-6). Is it presented in a way such that readers who are not aware of the electoral system can understand how seats are allocated? RFC#2: We would like to get feedback on our identification strategy (p. 6-10) and on our argument that the number of representatives is exogenous from the perspective of voters in a constituency. RFC#3: How relevant do you consider the research question (contribution to the low of 1/n)? Do you have suggestions on how to frame the results? Have we included the relevant literature on the topic? RFC#4: Is the motivation, the main results and the basic identification strategy already clear after reading the introduction? September 2019 Abstract Electoral district magnitude varies across German electoral constituencies and over legislative periods due to Germany’s electoral system. The number of seats in parliament per constituency is effectively random. This setting permits us to investigate exogenous variations in district magnitude on federal resource allocation. We analyse the effect of having more than one federal representative per constituency on federal government resources by exploiting information from 1,375 German constituencies from 1998 to 2017. More representatives per constituency lead to statistically significantly more employment of federal civil servants in the respective constituencies. The size of the effect corresponds to about 34 federal civil servants once a constituency is represented by additional legislators from party lists. -
Proportionality Or Majoritarianism? in Search of Electoral Equity1
Elena CINCEA Proportionality or majoritarianism? In search of electoral equity1 Elena CINCEA University of Craiova, Romania [email protected] Recibido: 27/11/2012 Aprobado: 23/04/2013 Abstract: Finding an electoral system both equitable and efficient represents a desideratum for every electoral democracy. The electoral system is at the cornerstone of democracy and has important consequences upon the constitutional and political system as a whole. Through this approach, I bring the spotlight on the old dispute over proportional representation and majoritarian voting systems. Thus, I will determine which of these main electoral systems is closer to the ideal of electoral equity. Keywords: electoral systems, proportional representation, majoritarian systems, electoral equity, representativeness, government effectiveness 1 This work was supported by the strategic grant POSDRU/CPP107/DMI1.5/S/78421, Project ID 78421 (2010), co-financed by the European Social Fund – Investing in People, within the Sectoral Operational Programme Human Resources Development 2007 – 2013. BAJO PALABRA. Revista de Filosofía II Época, Nº 8 (2013):175-190 175 Proportionality or majoritarianism? In search of electoral equity Referring to the importance of the regulation of the electoral system, Royer - Collard stated that “an electoral law is a Constitution. Depending on how good or bad the law is, the governments resulting from it are strong or weak”2. Choosing a certain electoral system is of great significance and there are several aspects that must be considered, such as the influence it has on political parties, on government formation and last, but not least, on voting behaviour. Besides, each state must take into account its own historical and political background and also the social and economic particularities, when designing the electoral system. -
Debating Electoral Systems
Debating Electoral Systems getting majoritarianism rigHt Timothy M. Meisburger Timothy M. Meisburger is director for Elections and Political Pro- cesses at the Asia Foundation. He wrote this essay while on sabbatical as a World Learning Democracy Fellow at the U.S. Agency for Inter- national Development (USAID). The opinions expressed here are solely his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Asia Foundation, USAID, or World Learning. In their essay in the October 2011 issue of this journal, John Carey and Andrew Reynolds capably outline existing electoral systems in the Mid- dle East and North Africa (MENA) and propose reforms in countries that have either begun a democratic transition or shown signs that such a transition may lie ahead. 1 Through their essay runs a vein of implicit or explicit support for the idea that electoral systems based on proportional representation (PR) of political parties will be best for whatever democ- racies may emerge in the MENA region, while majoritarian systems are more conducive to authoritarianism. I would like to challenge these assumptions by suggesting that, in the special case of developing or emerging democracies, PR may not be the most appropriate system, and that in many cases majoritarian or plural- ity systems may do a better job of ensuring effective representation and promoting democratization. Experience shows that effective democracies do not emerge over- night. Democratization is a process, not an event, and can take several generations. At different stages, it may require different electoral sys- tems. PR may be a good choice for the mature democracies of north- ern Europe, which already have such key PR prerequisites as parties with clear ideological profiles, well-defined platforms, and democratic internal-governance rules. -
National Electoral Thresholds and Disproportionality
National Electoral Thresholds and Disproportionality Tasos Kalandrakis∗ Miguel R. Rueday July 25, 2019 Abstract We develop a Maximum a Posteriori Expectation-Maximization (MAP-EM) algo- rithm to recover national electoral thresholds of representation and of electoral dispro- portionality from observed seats/votes data. We apply the procedure to 118 electoral systems used in 417 elections to the lower house across 36 European countries since WWII. We find that over half of these systems exhibit a statistically significant posi- tive national threshold of representation. Furthermore, the two modal electoral system configurations involve positive thresholds with allocation for parties exceeding thresh- olds that does not statistically differ from perfectly proportional allocation (38.14% of all systems); and disproportional seat allocations with (statistically) negligible thresh- olds of representation (31.36% of all systems). We also develop procedures to evaluate model fit and to test for changes in electoral institutions. ∗Department of Political Science and Department of Economics, University of Rochester. E-mail: kalan- [email protected]. yDepartment of Political Science, Emory University. 1 Introduction How easy is it for political parties to earn representation in the national legislature? Does the process of translating votes into seats favor larger parties? Though related, these are distinct questions that are central to the study of electoral systems and their conse- quences. An electoral system may impose a high barrier to representation -
What Determines Preferences for an Electoral System? Evidence from a Binding Referendum
DISCUSSION PAPER SERIES IZA DP No. 10987 What Determines Preferences for an Electoral System? Evidence from a Binding Referendum Guillem Riambau Steven Stillman Geua Boe-Gibson SEPTEMBER 2017 DISCUSSION PAPER SERIES IZA DP No. 10987 What Determines Preferences for an Electoral System? Evidence from a Binding Referendum Guillem Riambau Yale-NUS College Steven Stillman Free University of Bozen-Bolzano and IZA Geua Boe-Gibson University of Waikato SEPTEMBER 2017 Any opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and not those of IZA. Research published in this series may include views on policy, but IZA takes no institutional policy positions. The IZA research network is committed to the IZA Guiding Principles of Research Integrity. The IZA Institute of Labor Economics is an independent economic research institute that conducts research in labor economics and offers evidence-based policy advice on labor market issues. Supported by the Deutsche Post Foundation, IZA runs the world’s largest network of economists, whose research aims to provide answers to the global labor market challenges of our time. Our key objective is to build bridges between academic research, policymakers and society. IZA Discussion Papers often represent preliminary work and are circulated to encourage discussion. Citation of such a paper should account for its provisional character. A revised version may be available directly from the author. IZA – Institute of Labor Economics Schaumburg-Lippe-Straße 5–9 Phone: +49-228-3894-0 53113 Bonn, Germany Email: [email protected] www.iza.org IZA DP No. 10987 SEPTEMBER 2017 ABSTRACT What Determines Preferences for an Electoral System? Evidence from a Binding Referendum* Much has been written about politicians’ preferences for electoral systems, yet little is known about the preferences of voters. -
Proportional Representation in Local Elections: a Review
PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION IN LOCAL ELECTIONS: A REVIEW Todd Donovan* with Heather Smith Washington State Institute for Public Policy The Evergreen State College Seminar 3162, MS: TA-00 Olympia, WA 98505 (206) 866-6000, ext. 6380 FAX: (206) 866-6825 December 1994 * Todd Donovan is a faculty member in the Political Science Department at Western Washington University in Bellingham. Table of Contents Page Executive Summary ....................................................................................................ii I. What is Proportional Representation and How Does it Differ from Existing Electoral Systems? ......................................................1 II. How Do Proportional Representation Plans Operate?.............................................3 A. Party Electoral Systems Abroad .........................................................................3 B. Proportional Representation in Local Elections in the U.S. ................................................................................3 C. Why is Proportional Representation Largely Absent From the U.S.? .................................................................................................6 D. A Brief History of Proportional Representation Use in the U.S...................................................................................................6 III. Why is Proportional Representation of Interest for Local Elections in the U.S.?..................................................................................8 A. Response to voting rights