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Innovations of Candidate Selection Methods: Polling Primary and Kobo under the New Electoral Rules in Taiwan and Japan

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 November 2014

CHING-HSIN YU ,
ERIC CHEN-HUA YU  and
KAORI SHOJI
CHING-HSIN YU
Affiliation:
Research Fellow at the Election Study Center of National Chengchi University, Taiwanchyu@nccu.edu.tw
ERIC CHEN-HUA YU
Affiliation:
Associate Research Fellow at the Election Study Center and Associate Professor at Department of Political Science, National Chengchi University, Taiwanericyu@nccu.edu.tw
KAORI SHOJI
Affiliation:
Professor at Department of Political Studies, Gakushuin University, Japankaori.shoji@gakushuin.ac.jp
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Abstract

This paper explores the linkage between electoral systems and candidate selection methods (CSMs) by analyzing two innovations of CSMs in Taiwan and Japan: polling primary and kobo, respectively. With an assumption that parties’ CSMs reflect their strategies to win elections, this article offers the rationale behind why and how major parties in Taiwan and Japan adjusted their CSMs to meet the challenges posed by the transition of electoral rules in each country from single non-transferable vote (SNTV) systems to mixed-member majoritarian (MMM) systems. We argue that a party's choice of CSMs reflects its rationale for maximizing the prospects of winning under the given electoral rule, which counters the ‘no-finding’ conclusion in some previous large-N studies on the linkage between electoral systems and choices of CSMs. Additionally, our findings highlight the importance of institutional factors, such as electoral systems, in explaining CSM reforms in a comparative perspective.

Type
Research Article
Information
Japanese Journal of Political Science , Volume 15 , Issue 4 , December 2014 , pp. 635 - 659
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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