Constituency Size and Turnout in Mixed Electoral Systems: Replication Data and Code

Authors

Alex Keena, Virginia Commonwealth UniversityFollow

Document Type

Dataset

DOI

https://doi.org/10.21974/43jw-yg75

Publication Date

2025

Description

Replication data and code for "Constituency size and turnout in mixed electoral systems" published in Public Choice at https://doi.org/10.1007/s11127-025-01274-5

Abstract

Scholars of democratic representation argue that polity size affects political representation in a multitude of ways. Studies of elections consistently show a negative correlation between population size and political participation, particularly in first-past-the-post (FPTP) elections. Less research has investigated the effects of size scaling in mixed electoral systems. I posit that tier linkage is critical in determining whether or not mixed systems using FPTP are subject to the "size effect". To test this hypothesis, I study recent legislative election returns from 10 national assemblies. I find that unlinked systems using “parallel voting” tiers are vulnerable to the size effect on turnout. In five out of the six assemblies that use parallel voting, there is a negative association between turnout and constituency population size. By contrast, in the remaining four assemblies that use tier linkage, there is not a negative correlation between turnout and size with the exception of South Korea, which recently adopted reforms. The results underscore the potential of seat and/or vote linkage to improve representational outcomes in mixed systems.

File Format

.dta, .do, .csv

Language

English

Is Part Of

VCU Political Science Data

Date of Submission

3-21-2025