Overseas Development Institute – Why electoral systems matter: an analysis of their incentives and effects on key areas of governance

Electoral systems, defined as the manner in which votes cast in a general election are translated into seats in the legislature, matter because they influence key governance dimensions and dynamics. Electoral systems provide different kinds of incentives to appeal to voters in order to yield electoral pay‐offs. These systems come in many different varieties,and can have an impact on the degree of coherence and fragmentation of the party system and broader government effectiveness, as well as on public policy outcomes and the behavior and incentives of political actors.