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democratic electoral reforms and voter autonomy
The process of democratization that unfolded in European countries during the nineteenth century involved multiple dilemmas of institutional design. The first question concerned the scope of political suffrage. The transition from restrictive to extended suffrage took place either through the adoption of piece-meal changes in the scope of the franchise or through dramatic extensions that enfranchised nearly all citizens. Reforms enacted in Britain exemplify the first approach. There, the expansion of suffrage proceeded gradually. The first Franchise Act, enacted in 1832, extended the scope of suffrage from five to seven percent of the population. The second Franchise Act of 1867 extended the scope of suffrage to sixteen percent of the population. By contrast, both France and Germany adopted electoral reforms that expanded the share of the enfranchised population suddenly and dramatically. In Germany, the electoral law adopted in 1870 introduced universal suffrage for men.Similarly, France adopted universal male suffrage in 1799. While France reverted to censitary voting during the Restoration, it restored full universal suffrage for all male voters in 1848.
1. Introduction -- 2. The protection of voters' autonomy -- 3. Electoral intimidation by state employees -- 4. Electoral intimidation by employers -- 5. The production of irregularities during elections : a quantitative analysis -- 6. The adoption of electoral reforms -- 7. Labor scarcity, rural inequality, and electoral reforms : the determinants of electoral reform in the Prussian electoral system -- 8. Voting for opposition candidates : economic concentration, skills, and political support for social democracy -- 9. Dilemmas on the right and the road to proportional representation -- 10. From macro- to micro-historical analysis in comparative research.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 243-255) and index.
Cambridge studies in comparative politics