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The legacy of the past: pre-reform party competition and contamination of single-member districts in mixed electoral systems

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  • Dušan Vučićević

    (University of Belgrade—Faculty of Political Science)

Abstract

Three decades after the rise of mixed electoral systems (MESs), initial expectations of their benefits are mostly tempered. A key reason for the disappointment is the contamination of electoral competition in single-member districts, as parties run nonviable candidates. Strategic incentives to run everywhere vary between subtypes of MESs, being strongest in one-vote MESs and weakest in seat-linkage MESs. However, electoral systems do not emerge in a vacuum, and pre-reform party competition can also decisively influence the post-reform strategic considerations of parties, candidates, and voters. This paper explores the enduring impact of party-system legacies on contamination of single-member-district competition in MESs. I predict relative stability of previous patterns of party competition (in multiparty, two-party, and dominant-party systems), except after critical junctures (one-party-system breakdowns). The empirical analysis covers 26,000 + single-member districts across 141 elections in twenty-five countries spanning seven decades, examining key dependent variables including the effective number of candidates, the ratios of second-to-first loser and third-and-lower-to-first loser, and the vote share of third- and lower-placed candidates. I also assess various electoral, institutional, and contextual factors.

Suggested Citation

  • Dušan Vučićević, 2025. "The legacy of the past: pre-reform party competition and contamination of single-member districts in mixed electoral systems," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 204(1), pages 181-201, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:pubcho:v:204:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1007_s11127-025-01289-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s11127-025-01289-y
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Singer, Matthew M., 2013. "Was Duverger Correct? Single-Member District Election Outcomes in Fifty-three Countries," British Journal of Political Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 43(1), pages 201-220, January.
    2. Fiva, Jon H. & Hix, Simon, 2021. "Electoral Reform and Strategic Coordination," British Journal of Political Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 51(4), pages 1782-1791, October.
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