Valsystem i lilleputtar: pluralitet och diffusion

Authors

• Dag Anckar

Abstract

The electoral systems literature provides diverging assessments of the link between the size of a country and the choice of electoral formula.Whereas some authors argue that small countries are more likely than big countries to adopt a system of proportional representation, others argue that no systematic link exists between the size of countries and their electoral formula. However, the adequacy of these findings may be questioned. An examination of the 29 democratic microstates of the world indicates an evident partiality of these countries for plural formulas rather than proportional ones. Whereas 19 microstates have plural systems and two have mixed systems only eight, six of which are situated in Europe, have opted for proportional solutions. The finding remains much the same if the population is expanded to cover all non-democratic microstates. Furthermore, whereas the existing literature puts an emphasis on rational and geopolitical motives for the choice of an electoral formula, it is evident that the preference of microstates for plural systems is largely an outcome of diffusion.