The Norwegian Electoral System and its Political Consequences
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Bernt Aardal
The electoral system is an integral part of any representative democracy, and the choice of system is an important framework for individual behavior and party competition. An electoral system is a result of compromise between parties with vested interests in the system setup. However, no system satisfies all ideal claims. This article is an introduction to the electoral system used in parliamentary elections in Norway; it emphasizes the political consequences of vital elements such as the balance between provincial and compensatory seats, and the geographical distribution of seats and electoral formulae. In sum, the system introduced in 2003 is more proportional in terms of the parties’ share of seats compared with votes, and the geographical distribution has become more systematic and less skewed, although the ideal of one vote-one value has not been achieved. Both the present and previous electoral systems combine elements reflecting different principles and concerns such as increased proportionality, on the one hand, and the fear of a fragmented party system on the other. The analyses show a complex interplay between different parts of the system. One and the same system may have different effects depending on the balance between the parties and between electoral districts. Thus, in order to study the effect of changes in the electoral system one needs to use simulations based on election outcomes over time.
©2011 Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG, Berlin/Boston
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Artikel in diesem Heft
- Article
- Sphere Effects: A History of Peter Sloterdijk's Political Architectures
- Co-Production as a Political Form
- Office Allocation in the Czech Government and Chamber of Deputies in Light of Coalition Theory
- The Impact of International Politics on Commercial Flows in the Age of Globalization
- The Electoral System as a Factor in Striking a Balance between Governmental Stability and Representation
- Non-Partisan Candidates and Lists at Slovenian Local Elections, 1994-2010
- Candidate Choice in Political Advertising: What Determines Who Gets Attention?
- Bringing the Olympic Rationality Back In? Coherence, Integration and Effectiveness of Public Policies
- Constitutional Barriers and the Privatization of Public Utilities in Rich Democracies
- Size and Equal Opportunity in the Democratic Process: The Effect of the Danish Local Government Reform on Inequality in Internal Political Efficacy
- Alterations of Voting in Lithuania's Municipal Council Elections: Macrolevel Analysis
- The Norwegian Electoral System and its Political Consequences
- The New Regional Order and Transnational Civil Society in Southeast Asia: Focusing on Alternative Regionalism from below in the Process of Building the ASEAN Community
