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Electoral Laws, Party Systems, and Elites: The Case of Spain

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2014

Richard Gunther
Richard Gunther
Affiliation:
Ohio State University
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Abstract

Using aggregate, survey, and in-depth elite interview data from Spain in the 1970s and 1980s, I demonstrate that the “mechanical” effect of the Spanish electoral law is as strong as that of many single-member constituency systems. But the “distal” effect of the electoral law on the party system is shown to be complex and multifaceted, not direct and deterministic. The perceptions, calculations, strategies, and behavior of party elites play a crucial intervening role between the electoral law and the overall shape of the party system.

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Articles
Information
American Political Science Review , Volume 83 , Issue 3 , September 1989 , pp. 835 - 858
Copyright
Copyright © American Political Science Association 1989

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