Candidate selection methods and electoral performance in comparative perspective

Abstract

The purpose of the article is try to assess whether inclusive procedures of selection are more likely to appoint a candidate who can be competitive in the general elections compared with less inclusive ones. Accordingly, I took into account nomination processes (NPs) to select/appoint the prime ministerial/presidential candidate for general elections held in four Western European countries (France, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom) over approximately the last two decades. Using an original data source and innovative indicators, I assessed the inclusiveness of each NP and the party/candidate’s performance in the following general election in order to look for a possible relation. The outcome shows a very weak negative correlation between the two variables. Thus, while it does not appear that inclusive systems of selection have a clear positive impact at the electoral level, it is likewise hard to maintain that systems such as primary elections cause electoral failure.

Does Collective Action Institutionalize Rational Choice? Candidate Selection in Indonesian Political Parties

“…Candidate selection is one of the strategic functions of a political party in a democracy (Hazan and Rahat 2006). Many studies have been conducted on political parties' systems, procedures, and candidate selection methods (Budi 2020;Detterbeck 2016;Norris 2006;Rahat and Hazan 2001;Vicentini 2019). However, this is still insufficient in explaining the internal candidate model for political parties, especially in the practices of electoral politics in Indonesia.…”