Majoritarianism Reinterpreted: Effective Representation and the Quality of Westminster Democracy

Abstract

Comparative analyses have frequently cast the United Kingdom as a paradigm of majoritarianism, wherein a power-hoarding executive dominates parliament and policymaking. Yet, this article contends that existing studies have paid insufficient attention to the opportunities for opposition parties to affect policymaking via the legislative arena; and applies a refined version of Powell’s index of effective representation to map the institutional conditions that structure policy payoffs. This analysis demonstrates that reforms to shift the balance between government and parliament have served to offset the declining vote basis of government, and have in turn ensured that Westminster remains effectively responsive to a majority of the electorate.