Previous empirical research has developed stochastic electoral models for Israel, Turkey, and other polities. The work suggests that convergence to an electoral center often predicted by electoral models is a nongeneric phenomenon. In an attempt to explain nonconvergence, a formal model based on intrinsic valence is presented. This theory showed that there are necessary and sufficient condition...

  Every society has oriented itself towards a governing method concerning the socio-cultural conditions and with the inclusion of different historical-ideological periods and has accepted it as its governmental plan. Iranian society is not an exception to this general rule. Throughout different historical stages, such as the government of Safavid, the Constitution Movement, and despotic g...

Executive Summary The widespread adoption of e-election systems (that is, any IT system used for elections) in Australia has introduced many challenges in ensuring the quality and transparency of our elections. So far the development and operation of e-election systems has been in accordance with standard industry practice. However this is inappropriate for mission critical systems where securi...

When and how do third-party actors—most prominently electoral commissions, courts, and observers—contribute to the integrity of the electoral process? We approach these questions by studying how third-party actors shape politicians’ incentives to comply with the outcomes of elections. Third parties are most beneficial in close elections, when the threat of a post-election confrontation alone fa...

This paper analyzes the role of political parties in electoral competition. A generalization of the Alesina (1988) model of electoral competition is proposed and estimated using data from the U.S. House of Representatives. The main extension is the reconsideration of the role of bargaining in the context of political parties. Results from the axiomatic bargaining literature are used to establis...

In previous chapters, we discussed the contextual factors that affect the development of political systems. However, the evolution of political systems is not merely a function of the economic, social, cultural, and international environments. Political democracy is also as much a product of human choices as it is a product of context, particularly the choice of institutions that help shape the...

The old, understudied electoral system composed of multi-member districts, open ballot and plurality rule is presented as the most remote scene of the origin of both political parties and new electoral systems. A survey of the uses of this set of electoral rules in different parts of the world during remote and recent periods shows its wide spread. A model of voting by this electoral system dem...

The electoral models based on the early work of Hotelling (1929) and Downs (1957) essentially suppose that the motivation of parties is to win a majority of the votes or seats. A very considerable literature developed in the period up to 1973 (ably summarized by Riker and Ordeshook, 1973), focusing on two party competition and the existence of convergent equilibrium at the electoral median. McK...

Electioneering processes, particularly in the developing world has been marred by electoral frauds such as ballot snatching, multiple voting and other vices. The situation is compounded by the use of paper-based voter registration and voting systems. Although, there are already tendencies towards the adoption of electronic voting in some developing countries, they are still at rudimentary stage...