09:30 - 11:10
P11-S289
Room: 1A.12
Chair/s:
Kento Ohara
Discussant/s:
Jon H. Fiva
Geographic representation
P11-S289-4
Presented by: Orit Kedar
Orit KedarYair AmitaiGilad Hurvitz
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
We theoretically develop and empirically study the concept of geographic representation. We identify an overlooked aspect of (mis)representation in electoral systems: The degree to which within parties, voters residing in some districts are overrepresented at the expense of their co-partisans residing elsewhere. Drawing on district-level data of 113 parties from 12 districted democracies, we find a substantial degree of geographic representational discrepancies within parties. Importantly, we show that the discrepancy is often accompanied by a difference in policy positions between under and overrepresented districts, rendering it particularly significant politically. We derive a general measure for the discrepancy between the votes a party gains and the seats it holds in different districts, namely, geographic disproportionality (GeoDisp). Unlike malapportionment, GeoDisp is party specific, and draws on actual votes. Utilizing geocoded data, we find a substantial degree of geographic disproportionality, which, per our expectations, varies by party.
Keywords: Geographic representation, districts, district magnitude, disproportionality, rural-urban, malapportionment.

Sponsors