25. Conclusion: Are Mixed-Member Systems the Best of Both Worlds?

Authors: Shugart, Matthew Soberg; Wattenberg, Martin P.

Source: Mixed-Member Electoral Systems, February 2003 , pp. 571-656(86)

Publisher: Oxford Scholarship Online Monographs

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Abstract:

Reviews the experiences of several existing mixed-member electoral systems in an effort to assess the likely prospects for the continued spread of this mode of electoral reform. There are three sections. The first, ‘Inherent and Contingent Factors in Electoral Reform’, looks at extreme electoral systems and systemic failure, act-contingent explanations of pressures for reform, and outcome-contingent explanations of political compromise leading to reform. The second section, ‘The Best of Both Worlds’, looks at the interparty and intraparty dimensions of mixed-member electoral systems, and offers an assessment of these systems. The third section briefly assesses the prospects for continued spread of the mixed-member idea.

Keywords: electoral reform; spread; prospects; intraparty dimension; interparty dimension; extreme electoral systems; assessment; outcome-contingencies; political compromise; electoral systems; mixed-member electoral systems; systemic failure; contingent factors; act-contingencies