Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-j824f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-05T09:32:35.880Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Strategic Coordination under Quasi-SNTV: A Case Study of Hong Kong

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 February 2017

JUDY CHIA YIN WEI
JUDY CHIA YIN WEI*
Affiliation:
Center for East Asia Democratic Studies in National Taiwan [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This article aims to explore the effects of quasi-SNTV (Single Non-transferable Vote) under the Largest Remainder Proportional Representation (LRPR) in Legislative Council (LegCo) elections in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) after the British handover of 1997. Although the quasi-SNTV results from the inability of political parties to control their candidates, the Democratic Party (DP) and the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong (DAB) can obtain more seats in total than they could by coordinating around one single list if they can successfully control their party label and the political camps can coordinate different parties and candidates. The quasi-SNTV in Hong Kong is notable for the strategic coordination found in its alliances, a key aspect that differentiates it from Colombia's quasi-SNTV. The DP's failure can be attributed to its internal conflicts and the lack of coordination among the pro-democracy alliances. In contrast to the democratic camp, which lacks any overriding authority to coordinate different parties and candidates, the pro-China's united front machinery facilitates coordination and helps the DAB perform better than the DP in quasi-SNTV.

Type
Research Article
Information
Japanese Journal of Political Science , Volume 18 , Issue 1 , March 2017 , pp. 155 - 175
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Baerwald, H. (1986), Party Politics in Japan, Boston: Allen & Unwin.Google Scholar
Carter, E. and Farrell, D. M. (2010), ‘Electoral Systems and Election Management’, in LeDuc, L., Niemi, R. G., and Norris, P. (eds.), Comparing Democracies 3: Elections and Voting in the 21st Century, London: Sage Publications, pp. 25–44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chang, A. and Yen-chen, Tang (2015), ‘Dual Defection Incentives in One System: Party Switching under Taiwan's Single non-transferable Vote’, Japanese Journal of Political Science, 16 (4): 459–88.Google Scholar
Cheng, J. Y. S. (2010), ‘Maintaining the Status Quo? Hong Kong's Legislative Council Elections, September 2008’, Issues and Studies, 46 (4): 181–216.Google Scholar
Choy, C. K. (2002), ‘The Divisive Effect of the Proportional Representation System: From Inter-party Competition to Intra-party Competition’, in Hsin-chi, Kuan, Siu-kai, Lau, and Wang, T. Ka-ying (eds.), Out of the Shadow of 1997? The 2000 Legislative Council Election in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Hong Kong: The Chinese University Press, pp. 99–124.Google Scholar
Chuang, King-feng (2012), ‘The Result of the Fifth Legislative Council Election in HKSAR’, China Review, 179 (11): 50–4 (in Chinese).Google Scholar
Cox, G. and Niou, E. (1994), ‘Seat Bonuses under the Single Nontransferable Vote System’, Comparative Politics, 26 (1): 221–36.Google Scholar
Cox, G. and Rosenbluth, F. (1994), ‘Reducing Nomination Errors: Factional Competition and Party Strategy in Japan’, Electoral Studies, 13 (1): 4–16.Google Scholar
Cox, G. W. (1997), Making Votes Count: Strategic Coordination in the World's Electoral Systems, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Cox, G. W. and Shugart, M. S. (1995), ‘In the Absence of Vote Pooling: Nomination and Vote Allocation Errors in Colombia’, Electoral Studies, 14 (4): 441–60.Google Scholar
Cox, G. W. and Shugart, M. S. (1996), ‘Strategic Voting Under Proportional Representation’, The Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, 12 (2): 299–324.Google Scholar
Curtis, G. (1988), The Japanese Way of Politics, New York: Columbia University Press.Google Scholar
Farrell, D. M. (2011), Electoral Systems: A Comparative Introduction, London: Palgrave Macmillan.Google Scholar
Hrebenar, R. J. (1986), The Japanese Party System: From One-Party Rule to Coalition Government, Boulder, CO: Westview Press.Google Scholar
Hsieh, J. F. (1992), Proportional Representation, Taipei: Theory and Policy (in Chinese).Google Scholar
Kwong, B. K.-K. (2010), Patron–Client Politics and Elections in Hong Kong, London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Lijphart, A., Pintor, R. L., and Sone, Y. (1984), ‘The Limited Vote and the Single Nontransferable Vote: Lessons from the Japanese and Spanish Examples’, in Grofman, B. and Lijphart, A. (eds.), Choosing An Electoral System: Issues and Alternative, New York: Praeger.Google Scholar
Ma, Ngok (2001), ‘The Decline of the Democratic Party in Hong Kong: The Second Legislative Election in the HKSAR’, Asian Survey, 41 (4): 564–83.Google Scholar
Ma, Ngok (2002a), ‘Factionalism in the Democratic Party and the 2000 Election’, in Hsin-chi, Kuan, Siu-kai, Lau, and Wang, T. Ka-ying (eds.), Out of the Shadow of 1997? The 2000 Legislative Council Election in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Hong Kong: Chinese University Press, pp. 125–60.Google Scholar
Ma, Ngok (2002b), Strategic Voting in the 2000 Legislative Council Elections: An Empirical Study, Occasional Paper No. 131 December, Hong Kong: Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, Chinese University of Hong Kong (in Chinese).Google Scholar
Ma, Ngok and Choy, C. K. (2003a), The Political Effects of Electoral System: The Experience of Hong Kong, Hong Kong: City University of Hong Kong Express (in Chinese).Google Scholar
Ma, Ngok and Choy, C. K. (2003b), ‘The Impact of Electoral Rule Change on Party Campaign Strategy’, Party Politics, 9 (3): 347–67.Google Scholar
Ma, Ngok (2006), ‘Strategic Coordination under Proportional Representation: A Study at the Candidate Level’, in Kuan-Hsin, Chi and Wong, T. Ka-ying (eds.), The 2004 Legislative Council Elections in Hong Kong, Hon Kong: Chinese University Press, pp. 115–36.Google Scholar
Ma, Ngok (2011), ‘Hong Kong's Democrats Divide’, Journal of Democracy, 22 (1): 54–67.Google Scholar
Niu, Tse-hsun (2008), ‘An Explorative Study of Campaign Advertising Strategy in the 2004 Legislative Elections in Hong Kong: A Functional Theory Approach’, Election Review, 5: 33–65 (in Chinese).Google Scholar
Niu, Tse-hsun (2013), ‘An Explorative Study of Campaign Advertising Strategy in the 2012 Legislative Election in Hong Kong: A Functional Theory Approach’, Prospect Quarterly, 14 (4): 77–130 (in Chinese).Google Scholar
Pachon, M. and Shugart, M. S. (2010), ‘Electoral Reform and the Mirror Image of Inter-Party and Intra-Party Competition: The Adoption of Party Lists in Colombia’, Electoral Studies, 29 (4): 648–60.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scott, I. (1992), ‘An Overview of the Hong Kong Legislative Council Elections of 1991’, in Kwok, R., Leung, J., and Scott, I. (eds.), Votes Without Power: The Hong Kong Legislative Council Elections 1991, Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press.Google Scholar
Shugart, M. S., Moreno, E., and Fajardo, L. E. (2007), ‘Deepening Democracy by Renovating Political Practices: The Struggle for Electoral Reform in Colombia’, in Welna, C. and Gallon, G. (eds.), Peace, Democracy, and Human Rights in Colombia, Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press.Google Scholar
Wang, Jong-tian (2008), ‘The Exploration and Measurement of Political Parties’ Electoral Errors in SNTV and Its Application: The Case of Taiwan's Legislative Yuan Elections (1992–2004)’, Election Study, 15 (1): 51–72 (in Chinese).Google Scholar
Wei, Chia-yin (2001), ‘The Evolution of Political Parties after 1997: The Analyses of the 1998 and 2000 LegCo Elections’, MA Thesis, Institute of National Development, Taipei: National Taiwan University (in Chinese).Google Scholar
Yang, Jian-Xing (1997), ‘Chapter Four: Political Parties’, in Cheng, Joseph Y.S. (ed.), Hong Kong 1997: A Review, Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press (in Chinese).Google ScholarPubMed
Yip, S. and Yeung, R. (2014), ‘The 2012 Legislative Council Election in Hong Kong: Notes on Recent Elections’, Electoral Studies, 35 (3): 366–70.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yu, Ching-hsin (1999) ‘Case Study of Campaign Strategies: The DPP's Campaign Strategies in the 1998 Election for Legislator in the South District of Taipei City’, Election Study, 6 (2): 163–90 (in Chinese).Google Scholar