Idealism versus realism in institutional choice

Explaining electoral reform in Poland

Bibliographic Data

ID6406461
AuthorsKenneth Chan (0000-0003-2945-1182, Hong Kong Baptist University, corresponding author), Kenneth Ka‐lok Chan
Year2001
Volume24
Issue3
Pages65-88
Publication date2001-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueWest European Politics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0140-2382 • E-ISSN: 1743-9655
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/01402380108425453
OpenAlexW2014113387
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited8

One of the most significant, yet not fully explained, institutional decisions in post‐Communist Europe was Poland's adoption of a moderate proportional representation system for the 1993 general election. This article argues that the new electoral system was not entirely based on any normative notion of democratic governance, and that the adoption did not immediately follow from the assumptions of rational choice theory. The 1993 electoral system was largely attributable to patterns of interaction between political parties that had become known, been practised and accepted since the fall of Communism. In reality, the eventual system was built up incrementally in several stages, but the Polish way of 'muddling through', albeit contentious and protracted, seems to have worked well for the Polish people

Communism · Corporate governance · Democracy · Economic system · Economics · Electoral system · Epistemology · Idealism · Normative · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Positive economics · Proportional representation · Rational choice theory (criminology · Realism · Representation (politics · Sociology · Eastern European Communism and Reforms · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Law · Philosophy · Populism, Right-Wing Movements

Tools

Open DOISci-Hub