The Australian Electoral System: Origins, Variations and Consequences

(Paperback)

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The Australian Electoral System provides the first-ever comprehensive study of the design of Australian electoral systems. It focuses on the two electoral systems, both 'preferential', that are most closely associated with Australia: namely the alternative vote and the single transferable vote. The book covers four main themes. First, it traces the origins of Australia's electoral systems, explaining how and why Australia ended up with such a relatively unique arrangement. Second, it explores the range of variation in the detail of how the various schemes operate - variations which can have significant behavioural and electoral consequences. Third, it uses aggregate and survey data to systematically analyse the consequences of electoral system design. Fourth, it examines voter reaction to these systems, both in Australia and also cross-nationally.

Author Bio

David M. Farrell is Jean Monnet Professor of European Politics at the University of Manchester, England. Farrell is the pre-eminent international expert on electoral systems and is the author of two standard works on electoral systems: Electoral Systems: A Comparative Introduction and Comparing Electoral Systems. Ian McAllister is Professor of Politics at the Australian National University. He is the co-editor, most recently, of The Cambridge Handbook of the Social Sciences in Australia and coauthor of The Australian Political System, Longman, 1998, Ian McAllister has written extensively on Australian politics, parties and elections, and has been a co-director of the Australian Election Study since 1987. He is currently chair of the 50-nation Comparative Study of Electoral Systems group.