Comments on: More electoral reform in Italy http://chrishanretty.co.uk/blog/index.php/2009/07/28/more-electoral-reform-in-italy/ Notes on Italian politics and public broadcasting Wed, 14 Dec 2011 14:44:27 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Chris http://chrishanretty.co.uk/blog/index.php/2009/07/28/more-electoral-reform-in-italy/comment-page-1/#comment-154249 Chris Sat, 01 Aug 2009 17:49:14 +0000 http://chrishanretty.co.uk/blog/index.php/2009/07/28/more-electoral-reform-in-italy/#comment-154249 I think if I were to adopt one system from Australia, it would be the system used in the Senate -- not the Alternative Vote, which in many cases creates very disproportional electoral results. In any case, one of these thresholds -- the 4% threshold -- isn't that much higher than the effective threshold, or the number of votes needed to win a seat based just on the number of seats and the district magnitude. Here, there's just one district, with 55 seats, so the effective threshold is 100/55, or a little under 2%. Going from 2% to 4% (5% for some) makes a difference, sure, but it's hard to say that it's anti-democratic. It's not Turkey, with its 10% threshold. The best way of reducing fragmentation without imposing an explicit threshold might be to have small (4 to 7 seat) districts. According to one paper -- http://web.mit.edu/polisci/research/wip/Carey_Hix_Jan_2009.pdf -- that's where the electoral 'sweet spot' lies... I think if I were to adopt one system from Australia, it would be the system used in the Senate — not the Alternative Vote, which in many cases creates very disproportional electoral results.

In any case, one of these thresholds — the 4% threshold — isn’t that much higher than the effective threshold, or the number of votes needed to win a seat based just on the number of seats and the district magnitude. Here, there’s just one district, with 55 seats, so the effective threshold is 100/55, or a little under 2%. Going from 2% to 4% (5% for some) makes a difference, sure, but it’s hard to say that it’s anti-democratic. It’s not Turkey, with its 10% threshold.

The best way of reducing fragmentation without imposing an explicit threshold might be to have small (4 to 7 seat) districts. According to one paper — http://web.mit.edu/polisci/research/wip/Carey_Hix_Jan_2009.pdf — that’s where the electoral ’sweet spot’ lies…

]]> By: Guido http://chrishanretty.co.uk/blog/index.php/2009/07/28/more-electoral-reform-in-italy/comment-page-1/#comment-154073 Guido Fri, 31 Jul 2009 13:46:39 +0000 http://chrishanretty.co.uk/blog/index.php/2009/07/28/more-electoral-reform-in-italy/#comment-154073 I must say that while I agree that Italy needs to have less fragmentations in its coalitions raising thresholds is failry drastic. There is something to say for the Australian system of preferential voting. I must say that while I agree that Italy needs to have less fragmentations in its coalitions raising thresholds is failry drastic. There is something to say for the Australian system of preferential voting.

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