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Carvalho, R. & Freire, A. (2022). Barriers (and catalysts) of institutional change: The (almost) non-reform of the Portuguese electoral system (1983–2021). Zeitschrift für Vergleichende Politikwissenschaft. 16 (3), 381-404

R. Carvalho and A. R. Freire,  "Barriers (and catalysts) of institutional change: The (almost) non-reform of the Portuguese electoral system (1983–2021)", in Zeitschrift für Vergleichende Politikwissenschaft, vol. 16, no. 3, pp. 381-404, 2022

@article{carvalho2022_1734932761573,
	author = "Carvalho, R. and Freire, A.",
	title = "Barriers (and catalysts) of institutional change: The (almost) non-reform of the Portuguese electoral system (1983–2021)",
	journal = "Zeitschrift für Vergleichende Politikwissenschaft",
	year = "2022",
	volume = "16",
	number = "3",
	doi = "10.1007/s12286-022-00544-6",
	pages = "381-404",
	url = "https://doi.org/10.1007/s12286-022-00544-6"
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Barriers (and catalysts) of institutional change: The (almost) non-reform of the Portuguese electoral system (1983–2021)
T2  - Zeitschrift für Vergleichende Politikwissenschaft
VL  - 16
IS  - 3
AU  - Carvalho, R.
AU  - Freire, A.
PY  - 2022
SP  - 381-404
SN  - 1865-2654
DO  - 10.1007/s12286-022-00544-6
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1007/s12286-022-00544-6
AB  - The literature on electoral system change has focused on the motivations
of the political actors who initiate these legislative processes. However, less is known
about how contextual factors impact electoral reform approval. The Portuguese case
is especially interesting for investigating this question. In the 38-year period studied
in this article, only one reduction in the number of MPs and two amendments to the
rules governing changes in the electoral system occurred, despite the 11 episodes
in which political parties attempted to reform the electoral system. Using a strategy
that prioritizes the contextualized analysis of a long period, the goal is to explore
the mechanisms—barriers and catalysts—that underlie reform and non-reform. We
conclude that the maintenance of the status quo is the result of the combined effectiveness of the barriers—high constitutional and legal barriers, as well as inter
and intra-party veto players—and the ineffectiveness of the catalysts—the electoral
system ensured political and electoral stability, while simultaneously lowering the
risks faced by the main political parties—during the analysed period. We also conclude that the extreme results obtained in the intra-party dimension of the electoral
system, which has been the driving force behind the country’s debate on electoral
reform, are the only exception to this trend.
ER  -