Abstract
This dissertation examines the impact that devolved elections in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have had on the party systems in these three parts of the United Kingdom. In particular, it analyses if voters have taken information from election results at the devolved tier, which operate under forms of Proportional Representation (PR), and applied those lessons at general elections, which do not use PR. This could alter how Duverger’s Law (1967) is interpreted as it maintains that two-party systems should remain stable as long as majoritarian rules are maintained, making no account for lower electoral tiers. The central hypothesis of this dissertation argues that a more permissive electoral system in the devolved assemblies has created conditions which permit, but do not guarantee, contamination from the bottom-up. If enough voters learn from the proportional results, bottom-up effects have the capacity to overhaul long-established two-party systems in general election constituencies.Thesis is embargoed until 31 July 2030.
| Date of Award | Jul 2025 |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
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| Sponsors | Universities Ireland |
| Supervisor | Elodie Fabre (Supervisor) & Jamie Pow (Supervisor) |
Keywords
- Devolution
- bottom-up contamination
- party systems
- strategic voting
- multi-level politics