District Magnitude the Tie that Binds: A Comparative Analysis of Political Behavior

Modern democracies rely on elections to select representatives to serve the people in the day to day functions of government. Unfortunately, there is not a consensus in electoral research regarding the optimum electoral institutions. This dissertation considers some of the ways in which district magnitude, the number of elected officials that serve a district, impacts the relationship between voters and elected officials. Through application of the principal-agent model, I argue that mid-size magnitudes are small enough to limit the number of representatives that serve a district which helps to make elected officials identifiable for their service and ultimately creates closer constituent relations; yet at the same time, they are large enough to enable more parties to participate in elections which creates greater ideological diversity. Through the use of survey data from 27 countries district magnitude is studied as it impacts political efficacy, political participation, satisfaction with government. A case study of Brazil is used to analyze how district magnitude impacts voting behavior and legislative careerism in an open-list proportional system. Results provide some support for the idea that mid-sized district magnitudes, somewhere between sizes of three and eight, best serve voter's desire for both ideological diversity and close connections to their elected officials.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Kansas

Year dc:date.issued

2012

Author dc:creator

• Moddelmog, Linsey Ann

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Reich, Gary M

• Political Science
• Brazil
• District Magnitude
• Electoral Systems
• Government Satisfaction
• Political Participation
• Proportional Elections

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright held by the author.

Language dc:language.iso

en

Dc Identifier Other

http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:12436

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/37550