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Open/Closed List and Party Choice: Experimental Evidence from the UK

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  • Blumenau, Jack
  • Eggers, Andrew C.
  • Hangartner, Dominik
  • Hix, Simon

Abstract

Which parties benefit from open-list (as opposed to closed-list) proportional representation elections? This article shows that a move from closed-list to open-list competition is likely to be more favorable to parties with more internal disagreement on salient issues; this is because voters who might have voted for a unified party under closed lists may be drawn to specific candidates within internally divided parties under open lists. The study provides experimental evidence of this phenomenon in a hypothetical European Parliament election in the UK, in which using an open-list ballot would shift support from UKIP (the Eurosceptic party) to Eurosceptic candidates of the Conservative Party. The findings suggest that open-list ballots could restrict support for parties that primarily mobilize on a single issue.

Suggested Citation

  • Blumenau, Jack & Eggers, Andrew C. & Hangartner, Dominik & Hix, Simon, 2017. "Open/Closed List and Party Choice: Experimental Evidence from the UK," British Journal of Political Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 47(4), pages 809-827, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:bjposi:v:47:y:2017:i:04:p:809-827_00
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    Cited by:

    1. Cañete-Straub, Rumilda & Miquel-Florensa, Josepa & Straub, Stéphane & Van der Straeten, Karine, 2020. "Voting corrupt politicians out of office? Evidence from a survey experiment in Paraguay," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 179(C), pages 223-239.
    2. Hangartner, Dominik & Ruiz, Nelson A. & Tukiainen, Janne, 2019. "Open or Closed? How List Type Affects Electoral Performance, Candidate Selection, and Campaign Effort," Working Papers 120, VATT Institute for Economic Research.
    3. Gonzalez-Eiras, Martín & Sanz, Carlos, 2021. "Women’s representation in politics: The effect of electoral systems," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 198(C).
    4. Papagni, Erasmo & Baraldi, Anna Laura & Alfano, Maria Rosaria, 2023. "Ballot structure and political selection. Evidence from changes in electoral rules," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(1), pages 324-347.
    5. Becker, Sascha O. & Fetzer, Thiemo, 2018. "Why an EU Referendum? Why in 2016?," CAGE Online Working Paper Series 366, Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE).
    6. Thiemo Fetzer, 2019. "Did Austerity Cause Brexit?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 109(11), pages 3849-3886, November.

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