Between vertical integration and horizontal variation: comparing local elections and voting in 41 European countries

The comparative study of local elections and voting remains underdeveloped. Long denoted as either of lower rank (i.e. second-order in importance or relevance) or different kind (i.e. particular in size, portfolio or bias), contemporary assertions consider these as the place-bound manifestation of multilevel patterns and dynamics (Golder et al., 2017). Often a missing link in actual studies, systematic evidence on the local level has merit in its own right but can also contribute to the scholarly debate on elections and voting in general (Gendźwiłł & Steyvers, 2021). Local elections and voting can thereby be specified as second-tier with stakes on a continuum between localization and nationalization varying between individuals, localities and countries (Kjær & Steyvers, 2019). The ends of that continuum point to two crucial dimensions to scrutinize local elections and voting: vertical integration and horizontal variation. The first emphasizes the innate and asymmetrical relationship with a first-tier national counterpart: to what extent are local and national elections and voting similar or divergent? The second concedes contrasts between local authorities: to what extent can we determine homogeneity or heterogeneity across places? This paper tries to address these theoretical questions. The concomitant dimensions will structure the comparative analysis of four central aspects of local elections and voting: 1) local electoral systems (i.e. ballot structure, electoral formula and districting), 2) local electoral participation (i.e. eligibility, turnout or contestation), 3) local party politicization (i.e. presence and success of national versus non-national lists and/or independent candidates) and 4) local political representation (i.e. gender or ethnicity). Empirically, the paper draws on data gathered in the context of the upcoming Routledge Handbook on Local Elections and Voting (Gendźwiłł, Kjær & Steyvers, 2021). This edited volume and the associated quantitative database cover an unprecedented number of 41 European countries. It includes qualitative assessments of the scores on various indicators. This allows comparison over time (since the 1990s) and space (between (groups of) and within countries) on the aspects mentioned above. In addition, formal rules can be set against actual outcomes and the way both interact. References Gendźwiłł, A., Kjær, U. & Steyvers, K. (Eds.) (2021). The Routledge Handbook of Local Elections and Voting. London: Routledge. Gendźwiłł, A. & Steyvers, K. (2021). Comparing Local Elections and Voting in Europe: Lower Rank, Different Kind...or Missing Link? Local Government Studies, 47(1), 1-10. Golder, S., Lago, I., Blais, A., Gidengil, E. & Gschwend, T. (2017). Multi-Level Electoral Politics: Beyond the Second-Order Election Model. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Kjær, U. & Steyvers, K. (2019). Second Thoughts on Second-Order? Towards a Second-Tier Model of Local Elections and Voting. In R. Kerley, P. Dunning & J. Liddle (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of International Local Government (pp. 405-417). London: Routledge.