Rules+of+Democracy

=Rules of Democracy=

Elections lie at the heart of democracy, and this lecture seeks to understand how the rules governing those elections are chosen. Drawing on both broad comparisons and detailed case studies, it focuses upon the electoral rules that govern what sorts of preferences voters can express and how votes translate into seats in a legislature. Alan Renwick will show how major electoral system changes in established democracies operate especially in relation to the UK electoral system with particular reference to the forthcoming UK General Election and the important role voters have in calling the politicians to account. Renwick rejects the simple view that electoral systems always straightforwardly reflect the interests of the politicians in power. Politicians' motivations are complex; politicians are sometimes unable to pursue reforms they want; occasionally, they are forced to accept reforms they oppose. The lecture shows how voters and reform activists can have real power over electoral reform.

Speaker: Dr Alan Renwick Lecturer in Politics University of Reading

Further Reading