Population distributions and electoral power: Preliminary investigations of class bias

Abstract

Johnston R. J. (1977) Population distributions and electoral power: preliminary investigations of class bias, Reg. Studies 11, 309–321. That the imposition of a set of spatially-defined constituencies upon a non-uniform population distribution produces electoral biases is well-known, but who are biased against is not clear. The present paper looks at a series of measures derived from coalition theory to investigate the power of classes in constituencies. Scottish data indicate that the bias is generally against the larger classes, although details of their spatial distribution can influence the finding.