Replication Data for: The Party System Effects of Unstable Electoral Rules in Latin America

Prior studies have shown that electoral rules fail to determine the number of parties in new democracies due to the uncertainty of voters and politicians about which parties are viable. Latin American democracies, where electoral volatility has generally remained high and party institutionalization low, have been a primary example of this phenomenon. We argue that even in shifting political environments the fragmentation of the party system is likely to become consistent with the permissiveness of electoral rules and the level of social diversity as voters and party leaders accumulate experience with elections and the rate of electoral regime change declines. We find support for these propositions analyzing an original dataset on Latin American democratic elections. This article contributes to research on electoral systems and political parties by identifying the conditions under which equilibrium electoral outcomes can be expected after a transition to democracy in unstable institutional settings.

过往研究显示，鉴于选民与政治家无法明确哪些政党具备竞争力，选举规则无法决定新兴民主国家的政党数量。选举波动性普遍居高、政党制度化水平偏低的拉丁美洲民主国家，便是这一现象的典型案例。本文认为，即便处于不断变化的政治环境中，随着选民与政党领袖逐步积累选举经验，且选举政体更迭速率放缓，政党体系的碎片化程度终将与选举规则的包容性及社会多元化水平趋于一致。通过分析一套原创的拉丁美洲民主选举数据集，本文为上述命题提供了实证支持。本研究通过识别在不稳定制度环境中，民主转型后有望出现均衡选举结果的条件，为选举制度与政党政治领域的研究作出了学术贡献。