The Logic of Institutional Preferences
German Electoral Law as a Social Choice Outcome
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6231709 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Kathleen Bawn (0000-0001-7479-4921, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1993 |
| Volume | 37 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 965 |
| Publication date | 1993-11-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | American Journal of Political Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0092-5853 • E-ISSN: 1540-5907 |
| Publisher | JSTOR (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.2307/2111539 |
| OpenAlex | W2060635549 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 134 |
| References cited | 15 |
Institutions determine the results of social decision processes, yet institutions are themselves endogenous products of earlier social choices. This paper explores the hypothesis that participants in the choice of institutions seek alternatives that favor their desired policies. The choice of institutions can be analyzed in terms of bargaining between individuals or parties, where preferences derive from preferences over policy and bargaining is structured by existing institutions. This approach is used to study the choice of an electoral system in Germany after World War II. The hypothesis that parties choose electoral institutions to maximize their future policy influence explains both the adoption of proportional representation in 1949 and the switch to a two-vote ballot in 1953
Ballot · Economics · German · Microeconomics · Outcome (game theory · Political science · Politics · Public economics · Representation (politics · Social choice theory · Voting · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Game Theory and Voting Systems · Law · Political Influence and Corporate Strategies
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| Unique citing works | 134 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2,98 |
| Citation span | 1981 - 2025 (45) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | Yes |
| Citation types | Neutral: 134 |