Abstract
This chapter explores the link between electoral reforms and structural changes in the social bases of party support in Italy and Japan. Italy and Japan offer important case studies as they underwent significant electoral reform in the early 1990s as part of a more general process of political change. Both in Italy and Japan, corruption scandals and increasing public dissatisfaction with politicians resulted in demands for electoral reform. Electoral reform was seen as an institutional means of changing the system of political representation to promote alternation of parties in power, increase transparency and efficiency in government, and reduce the opportunities and incentives for corruption (Katz 2001; Reed and Thies 2001a).
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Giannetti, D., Taniguchi, N. (2011). The Changing Bases of Party Support in Italy and Japan: Similarities and Differences. In: Giannetti, D., Grofman, B. (eds) A Natural Experiment on Electoral Law Reform. Studies in Public Choice, vol 24. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-7228-6_3
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