Title:      A method for measuring and decomposing electoral bias
for the three-party case

Authors:    Galina Borisyuk, Ron Johnston, Colin Rallings,
Michael Thrasher

Entrydate:  2008-03-26 10:29:27

Keywords:   electoral bias, decomposition of bias, British
parliamentary elections

Abstract:   The paper provides a method for measuring and
decomposing electoral bias for the three-party case.  It builds
on the two-party method first developed by Ralph Brookes in the
late 1950s.  Modifications to the original Brookes method
developed in the early 1990s were designed to capture the third
party effect in the overall distribution of bias but that bias
continued to be expressed in terms of the two major parties. 
Recent general election results in Britain continue to show
strong voter support for the third party.  This new method
specifically considers the three party situation and calculates
both overall bias and also its decomposition at the 2005 general
election.  The results from this new method are then compared
with those found by the Brookes method for each election held
since 1983.

http://polmeth.wustl.edu/retrieve.php?id=741

**********************************************************
             Political Methodology E-Mail List
   Editors: Melanie Goodrich, <[log in to unmask]>
            Delia Bailey, <[log in to unmask]>
**********************************************************
        Send messages to [log in to unmask]
  To join the list, cancel your subscription, or modify
           your subscription settings visit:

          http://polmeth.wustl.edu/polmeth.php

**********************************************************