Costas Panayotakis
Costas Panayotakis recently exposed the fiction in the ‘Every Vote Counts’ thesis. Here, he explores the implications of that fiction for different electoral systems, notably those based on Proportional Representation and First Past the Post. In so doing, he reveals the futility of tactical voting Read more
Costas Panayotakis
Costas Panayotakis analyses the popular claim that 'every vote counts' in a democracy. He finds it is based on false assumptions and a misunderstanding of statistical probability. Voting and democratic participation, he concludes, are not based on individualistic self-interest but on some degree of idealism and solidarity Read more
Raul Gomez
Decades of secularisation have not done away with the influence of religion on party choice in Western Europe. To understand this, argues Raul Gomez, we need to look at how parties mobilised religion in the past, and how that still lingers among voters today Read more
Šárka Homfray
Gender equality experts and the general public have criticised the lack of female political representation in the Czech Republic. Despite these criticisms, Czech political parties still aren't presenting many female candidates in the forthcoming parliamentary election. Czech voters, argues Šárka Homfray, have few opportunities to achieve real change Read more
Manès Weisskircher
Alternative für Deutschland is not expected to make gains at this Sunday’s general election in Germany, yet it is essential to scrutinise the party’s strongholds, writes Manès Weisskircher. AfD’s strength in the east is not just relevant for the party's future. It may also shape German politics in the medium term Read more
Lea Portmann
In Switzerland, poor political representation of people with a migrant background is not simply the result of prejudice and deliberate penalising by voters. Lea Portmann and Nenad Stojanović show that it is also caused by voters systematically favouring native ingroup candidates Read more
Sergio Ricardo Quiroga
As Argentina heads for primary and then legislative elections in September, Sergio Ricardo Quiroga assesses the state of Argentinian politics through election build-up in a single province, San Luis. He finds that Argentina’s socioeconomic crisis cannot be resolved without first confronting its crisis of democracy Read more
