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Updating Duverger's Law*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 November 2009

W. M. Dobell
W. M. Dobell
Affiliation:
University of Western Ontario
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Abstract

This note traces the reasoning behind Riker's addenda to Duverger's law, which exempts Canada and India from its general determinism. Characteristics common to Canada and India, but not to other countries using the plurality electoral system, are examined. The study finds that the uniqueness of those two federal nations employing the simple-majority system lies in the dominance of one national party, the weakness of the conventional alternative governing party, and the persistence of ideological parties of the left.

Résumé

Cette note fait ressortir la logique qui amène Riker à reformuler la loi de Duverger en excluant du déterminisme de cette dernière le Canada et l'Inde. On examine ici les particularités communes à ces deux pays par rapport aux autres pays qui utilisent un système électoral avec scrutin uninominal. L'auteur estime que ces deux fédérations où l'on a adopté un système fondé sur la majorité relative des votes se distinguent des autres par la prépondérance d'un parti « national », la faiblesse de l'autre « grand » parti traditionnel et la persistance de partis idéologiques de gauche.

Type
Notes
Information
Canadian Journal of Political Science/Revue canadienne de science politique , Volume 19 , Issue 3 , September 1986 , pp. 585 - 595
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Political Science Association (l'Association canadienne de science politique) and/et la Société québécoise de science politique 1986

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References

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