Vierzig-Prozent-Regel für mit der Personenwahl verbundene Verhält- niswahlen: Empirische Überprüfung einer praktischen Hypothese

Based on empirical data from German elections after WW II, 765 test instances are con­structed to examine the forty-percent-rule . This rule states that all winners of single-seat­constituencies can be integrated into the proportional representation outcome provided the number of constituencies equals forty percent of the nominal size of parliament . While the traditional fifty percent share usually leads to overhang seats, a share of forty percent leads to overhang seats in only twenty-two of the 765 test instances .