Volby do švédského Riksdagu v letech 1998–2006: analýza strategických účinků volebního systému na úrovni volebních obvodů
Elections to the Swedish Riksdag in 1998, 2002, and 2006: Analysis of Strategic Effects of Electoral Systems on the Level of Electoral Districts

Summary/Abstract: The text analyses concept of strategic effects of electoral systems and offer its application on three electoral contests being held in Sweden in 1998, 2002, and 2006 with particular attention to relation between size of electoral districts and incentives to strategic coordination. We argue that strategic effects are rather weak. At the same time analysis of preferential voting illustrates, that even electoral systems with only weak ordinal choice of voting can – in case of sufficient understanding and utilization of strategic opportunities by voters and political parties – have strong effects for party competition on the level of electoral districts, at least in case of some parties. The article concludes with observation that extremely party-dominated Swedish political culture restrains potential utilization of strategic incentives offered by electoral system and, at the same time, markedly assists to reproduction of current party structure.

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