PARTY INTERESTS, PUBLIC-OPINION AND INSTITUTIONAL PREFERENCES - ELECTORAL SYSTEM CHANGE IN NEW-ZEALAND

Explanations of the origins of electoral systems tend to rely heavily on rational choice assumptions: essentially the common sense inference that political parties prefer electoral arrangements that promote the ir interests. Accounts of electoral system change in New Zealand suppo rt either a partisan interest interpretation on the basis of survey ev idence from voters, or point to other deeper causes in historical, ins titutional and cultural phenomena. Using survey data from the 1993 ref erendum, covering both voters and political party elites, we seek to r econcile these approaches by establishing the limits of the party inte rest approach. We construct an argument which also stresses the effect s of cultural and institutional variables-most notably, many New Zeala nders' frustrated expectations that governments be accountable between elections as well as on election day, and their hopes that multi-part y government may facilitate such accountability.