Friday, November 2, 2012

Duverger's law


Many political scientists have put forth theories explaining the nature of political parties in a state; however, Duverger’s law has become the dominant concept.  This law states that the effective number of parties in any electoral district is a function of the electoral rules.  Various factors contribute to this law.  District magnitude helps show representation levels in a territory; the formula is mathematical to allocate seats; the list is the openness of selecting candidates.  These factors help explain the effectiveness of political parties.
Duverger’s law believes that a nation’s electoral rules determine the effective number of political parties.  It distinguishes these rules systems: single-member-district-plurality and proportional representation.  According to Duverger, the former produces an effective two-party system while the latter allows for more.  The SMDP system permits each district to elect one representative, based on a plurality.  As a result, only major political parties with large bases may win, perhaps not representing the majority.  Proportional representation awards legislative states based on percentage of votes received rather than a winner-take-all system.  Minor parties are thus rewarded with a seat if receiving a certain percentage, giving more viewpoints a say in politics.  Many nations utilize such systems, allowing for more parties.  In some cases, parties will create a list of candidates for open seats, allowing the voter to vote for the party rather than a candidate.  In closed list systems, the party leaders choose the ranking of candidates; however, open systems allow constituents to vote for specific candidates over others.  These practices are common in many nations around the world.
To study this case, one could consider the Republic of South Africa.  South Africa has a bicameral legislature, consisting of a lower house, the National Assembly, and an upper house, the National Council of Provinces.  Four hundred members make up the National Assembly, one half selected by separate provinces, the other nationally in a list structure[1].  This system is a closed list; the party leaders decide the candidates.  This second district is the nation itself, allocating additional seats based on national voting, allowing minor parties a better chance.  After the direct election every five years, parties receive a percentage of seats proportional to the number of votes received.  This aspect allows for greater proportional representation, allowing more people to have a say in government.  The National Council of Provinces, similar to the American Senate, represents each province equally.  While both chambers coordinate legislation, only the National Assembly can pass laws concerning revenue and taxes and nominate a President[2].  As a result, the National Assembly, being more representative of the people, wields greater power than the provincial representatives.
Proportional representation has a substantial effect on a nation’s number of political parties.  The National Assembly consists of four hundred directly elected members from South Africa’s nine provinces[3].  District magnitude measures the average number of delegates per province; here, South Africa has a district magnitude of 44.4.  Currently, thirteen political parties hold seats in the lower chamber in South Africa[4].  In this system, parties are allotted seats correspondent to percentage of vote received.  These parties represent different viewpoints, ensuring more voices are heard.  However, how many of these parties may one consider effective?  This number can be determined by the inverse of the sum of the squares of percentages of vote received by each party.  After calculations, this number is much lower: 2.1 effective parties.  This fact signifies that two effective parties exist, the African National Congress and Democratic Alliance, but small parties do play a small part.  Despite differences in party size, the distribution of power is greater, making the system more characteristic of the people.
In this case, it seems, Duverger’s law lacks support.  South Africa’s system appears to debunk Duverger, at least in one case.  A proportional system exists; however, only two parties wield significant power.  As a result, the electoral rules do not correspond to Duverger’s law.












Works Cited
"Elections by Country." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 11 Jan. 2012. Web. 01 Nov. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elections_by_country>.
"IPU PARLINE Database: SOUTH AFRICA (National Assembly), General Information." IPU PARLINE Database: SOUTH AFRICA (National Assembly), General Information. Inter-Parliamentary Union, 5 Oct. 2012. Web. 01 Nov. 2012. <http://ipu.org/parline-e/reports/2291_A.htm>.
"National Legislature (Parliament)." About Government. Republic of South Africa, 15 June 2010. Web. 02 Nov. 2012. <http://www.info.gov.za/aboutgovt/parliament/index.htm>.
Silke, David. "Political Parties in South Africa." California Polytechnic State University, 1997. Web. 01 Nov. 2012. <http://cla.calpoly.edu/~bmori/syll/315syll/SouthAfricanParties.html.>.



[1] IPU PARLINE Database: SOUTH AFRICA (National Assembly), General Information. Inter-Parliamentary Union
[2] "National Legislature (Parliament)." About Government. Republic of South Africa
[3] "Elections by Country." Wikipedia
[4] Silke, David. "Political Parties in South Africa." Political Parties in South Africa.

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