Deviations from proportionality and survival in new parliamentary democracies

This article builds on the work of Stepan and Skach (1993, World Politics 46(1), 1–22) who find that new parliamentary democracies are more likely to survive than new presidential democracies. They argue that parliamentary systems are more inclusive and promote problem solving. However, Stepan and Skach do not explore differences within parliamentary systems, such as the presence of proportional representation (PR) or plurality electoral rules. Disaggregating new parliamentary democracies by their deviations from proportionality reveals that less proportional systems are more likely to survive than those with highly proportional outcomes. Hence, the kind of electoral system within parliamentary systems appears to be an important factor for new democracies.