It is all About Dissimilarity: Party System Characteristics and Their Proper Measurement

In this article we propose a new conceptualization of the crucial party system characteristics: disproportionality, electoral volatility, territorial heterogeneity and inter-election incongruence. We argue that these characteristics can be studied as dissimilarities between vectors of votes or seats. We present different specifications of vectors in order to address various research questions important for students of parties and party systems. Subsequently, developing the analyses of Monroe (1994) and Taagepera and Grofman (2003), we present nine measures of vectors’ dissimilarity: index of dissimilarity, Gallagher’s least squares measure and its transformations, cosine measure, Gini coefficient, Kullback-Leibler divergence (relative entropy), weighted variance and weighted standard deviation of ratios. We discuss their utility in empirical studies of main party system characteristics, using several dimensions of comparison, based on the formal postulates. We also add two new postulates concerning measure’s decomposability: horizontal (sumtype) and vertical (variance-type)

How equal is the electoral representation in municipalities? A study of disproportionality in Polish local councils

The disproportionality is one of the main problems of political representation. Nonetheless, the empirical research on disproportionality in local councils occurs only as an exception. In our paper we demonstrate how disproportionality can be studied at the local level. Following van Puyenbroeck (2008), we distinguish the postulates of “equally treated voters” and “equally treated parties” which are the basis for the assessment of disproportionality. Using the results of recent Polish local elections (2010), we demonstrate how the disproportionality varies between the municipalities of different size, using different electoral formulae, how it is affected by the electoral districting, seat apportionment and local differences in turnout. Moreover, as a preparation for the empirical study of the electoral reform, effective in 2014 (November) elections, we formulate several hypotheses on how the introduction of single-member districts would affect political representation at the local level

Non-partisan Mayors and Their Impact on Local Politics

Artykuł opisuje fenomen bezpartyjności władz lokalnych dużych miast w Polsce, jest sprawozdaniem z badań empirycznych przeprowadzonych we Wrocławiu, w Gdyni i Katowicach. Opisano w nim typowe uzasadnienia bezpartyjności, zidentyfikowano różnice między radnymi partyjnymi a bezpartyjnymi w badanych miastach oraz scharakteryzowano organizacje quasi-partyjne stanowiące polityczne zaplecze bezpartyjnych prezydentów. Badania pokazały, że charakterystyczna dla tych organizacji jest kategoria lokalnych działaczy koncentrujących swoją działalność na szczeblu lokalnym, a także że bezpartyjność może być w polityce lokalnej drogą do instytucjonalizacji szczególnego sposobu rozumienia i uprawiania polityki. Artykuł dowodzi, że problem partyjności i bezpartyjności w polityce lokalnej powinien być rozpatrywany jako część szerszego zagadnienia przenikania się sfer polityki i administracji na poziomie lokalnym.The aim of the article is to describe the phenomenon of non-partisanship of local governments in large Polish cities. It is a report from a research conducted in Wroclaw, Gdynia and Katowice. The article contains a description of typical justifications of non-partisanship, an identification of differences between partisan and non-partisan city councillors and a description of quasi-partisan organizations functioning as political support for non-partisan mayors. The results of the research confirm the existence of a specific category of local activists consistently rejecting party politics and very often having no political ambitions concerning higher levels of government; this category is typical for quasi-partisan organizations. The research demonstrates that non-partisanship can be a means of institutionalization of a particular manner of understanding and making politics. One of the final conclusions is that the problems of partisanship and non-partisanship at the local level are derivatives of a vague relationship between public administration and politics at the local level

‘Happily ever after’? Comparing local elections and voting in 40 European countries

Local elections and voting across 40 countries are compared under the headings of local electoral systems, local electoral participation, local party politicization, and local political representation. The different takes on the localness of local elections are combined in an explorative typology, including combinations of vertical dissimilarity (how different elections are at the national and local levels) and horizontal variations (how different local elections are across municipalities within the same country). Avenues for further research are pointed out – not least future research in which the large number of electoral cases existing at the local level can be exploited

From perennial bridesmaids to fully fledged spouses : advancing the comparative study of local elections and voting

Existing approaches to the study of local elections and voting often result in a characterization of these as of a lower rank, and the literature has long been dominated by empirical single-country studies that are often limited to a sole electoral term. We argue that local elections and voting as political phenomena should be situated within the broader context of multilevel democracy and that a more comparative approach should be applied. A theoretical framework including vertical integration and horizontal variation is introduced. Also, five sections are included in which local elections are described: a brief overview of the local government system, local elections and their place in the multilevel system, features of the local electoral system, local electoral outcomes, and conclusion and discussion. Finally, the empirical study of local elections in 40 European countries is introduced