This presentation examines the forces shaping party system change. We argue that the transaction costs in electoral coordination depend on the turnout level in the previous election. The greater the number of peripheral voters entering the electorate, the less likely a change in the party system in future elections. The argument is tested using data for 320 parliamentary elections in 63 countries from 1990 to 2011, two natural experiment in The Netherland and Australia, and correlational district-level data in Chile. The findings shed light on the puzzling question of why realignments are observed in specific elections within countries, and in some countries but not in others, when using the same electoral system.

About the presenter:

Ferran Martinez i Coma is a Lecturer at School of Government and International Relations at Griffith University. He has published articles, among others, in Electoral Studies, Party Politics, EJPR, West European Politics, Democratization and Applied Economics Letters, as well as in Spanish academic journals. He is currently an ARC Discovery Fellow. Before moving to Australia, Ferran served for the Spanish Prime Minister (2010-2011), was assistant Professor at Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas in Mexico City (2007-2010). Right after defending his dissertation (2005) he worked for the City Hall of Barcelona, his hometown.

Visit https://www.griffith.edu.au/griffith-business-school/departments/government-international-relations/contact-us/fernando-martinez-i-coma