Electoral system reviews in New Zealand, Britain and Canada: a critical comparison

Lundberg, T.C. (2007) Electoral system reviews in New Zealand, Britain and Canada: a critical comparison. Government and Opposition, 42(4), pp. 471-490. (doi: 10.1111/j.1477-7053.2007.00232.x)

Abstract

This article compares the use of people outside government to consider electoral reform in three countries using the single-member plurality electoral system. The composition of electoral reform bodies, ranging from commissions of experts (New Zealand) and ex- politicians (Britain) to assemblies of randomly selected citizens (British Columbia), appears to have influenced how well their recommendations were received by the public. Governments should be careful not to assume that they can retain control of the electoral reform process once they let it out of their hands, as the cases of New Zealand and British Columbia show, where majorities of the voters chose reform.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: The definitive version is available at www.blackwell-synergy.com
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Lundberg, Dr Thomas
• Authors: Lundberg, T.C.
• Subjects: J Political Science > JA Political science (General); J Political Science > JF Political institutions (General)
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Politics
• Journal Name: Government and Opposition
• Publisher: Blackwell
• ISSN: 0017-257X
• ISSN (Online): 1477-7053
• Published Online: 14 September 2007
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2007 The Author
• First Published: First published in Government and Opposition 42(4):471-490
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher.