Muffling the swing

STV and the Irish general election of 1981

Bibliographic Data

ID6405886
AuthorsPeter Mair (0000-0002-1408-3762, European University Institute, corresponding author)
Year1982
Volume5
Issue1
Pages75-90
Publication date1982-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueWest European Politics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0140-2382 • E-ISSN: 1743-9655
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/01402388208424348
OpenAlexW2015815950
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited9

The proportionality of Ireland's electoral system, PR‐STV, depends on a number of factors. Principal among these is the constituency configuration, i.e. the number of seats allocated to each constituency. The recent election of 1981 saw a major swing against the traditionally predominant Fianna Fail, but because this swing was most pronounced in regions containing a larger number of 4‐seat constituencies, it was not reflected in a major loss of seats by that party. A regional breakdown of the results also shows that this swing was characteristic of patterns prevalent throughout the post‐war period, but that the growing demographic importance of the more volatile regions has had the effect of increasing volatility on a national scale

Demographic economics · Econometrics · Economics · Irish · Physics · Political economy · Political science · Spanish Civil War · Swing · Volatility (finance · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Irish and British Studies · Law