Democratization after Democratization

• In Event: Comparative Democratization: Europe and Latin America

Abstract

This paper examines the adoption of electoral reforms that democratized electoral practices in European countries prior to World War I. I examine four types of electoral reforms: (a) reforms that limited campaign expenditures and ended vote-buying; (b) reforms that limited the ability of candidates to rely on state employeees as brokers; (c) reforms protecting voter secrecy and (d) reforms ending fraud. The paper documents that the electoral coalitions supporting these reforms differ across dimensions and presents an explanation for the formation of these coalitions in different European countries.

Author

• Isabela Mares, Yale University