Pippa Norris on 'Why elections fail'   8 April 2014
Channel: Electoral Integrity Project
Date: 08/04/2014

Download the paper at: http://bit.ly/1inBYoG

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Synopsis: Why do elections fail or succeed? Building upon accounts seeking to explain broader processes of democratization, the key factors can be divided into three categories emphasizing, respectively, the roles of fixed structural conditions, domestic institutions, and international determinants. The latter has been the focus of the most scholarly research, notably the role of international monitors and external pressures upon recalcitrant autocrats. By contrast, although there is a growing interest in the design of EMBs, far less is known about the impact of institutional drivers. 

Part I in this study theorizes that power-sharing forms of electoral governance will strengthen integrity. The argument focuses upon the incentives and constraints facing political actors arising from the institutional and regulatory framework governing electoral processes and procedures. Part II establishes the evidence and Part III presents the results. The conclusions considers the lessons for theories explaining electoral integrity as well as for stakeholders and practitioners seeking to strengthen the quality of elections.


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The Electoral Integrity Project is an independent research team based at the University of Sydney and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. It explores many issues, focusing upon three main questions: 

- When do elections meet international standards of electoral integrity? 
- What happens when elections fail to do so? 
- And what can be done to mitigate these problems? 

For more information see: www.electoralintegrityproject.com