Mind the Deadweight Loss: In Search for an Acceptable Electoral System in Malawi’s Nascent Democracy

Richard Zidana

doi:doi:10.11648/j.jpsir.20180104.11

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Mind the Deadweight Loss: In Search for an Acceptable Electoral System in Malawi’s Nascent Democracy

Richard Zidana

Published in Journal of Political Science and International Relations (Volume 1, Issue 4)

Received: 7 August 2018 Accepted: 24 August 2018 Published: 26 February 2019

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Abstract

There has been escalating debate amongst electoral stakeholders in Malawi agitating for change of the prevailing electoral laws to accommodate an electoral system that produces more legitimate candidates and outcomes – voted by the majority of electorate - especially at presidential election level. The aim of this paper was, therefore, to investigate and argue as to whether electoral system change is a solution in itself. The study advances the argument to the effect that before changing prevailing electoral systems (especially in a jurisdiction like Malawi where First-Past-the-Post is applied), greater caution should be taken since the extent to which a particular electoral system can be deemed and declared effective may vary from one democracy to another depending on varying societal factors. To illustrate the argument, the methodology used involved the analysis of Malawi’s voting dynamics since 1994. The main variables of analysis and discussion included the seemingly-entrenched regional pattern of voting as well as observable voter apathy records during the previous elections. Based on the observed trends, a hypothetical case was constructed to depict likely outcomes and how such outcomes run the risk of not adding any value over and above the outcomes obtained by maintaining the current electoral system. A review of election results over the years was conducted in order to inform the discussion and conclusion of this paper. The result of the analysis has concluded that in the absence of a thoughtful roll-out strategy prior to adoption of an unfamiliar electoral system to most Malawians; and in the midst of low civic and voter education practices, voter apathy, politics of regionalism, among others, two round systems run the risk of producing sub-optimal outcomes that may not in any way present an upgrade or improve the legitimacy and acceptability of elected governments and/or candidates.

Published in	Journal of Political Science and International Relations (Volume 1, Issue 4)
DOI	10.11648/j.jpsir.20180104.11
Page(s)	72-78
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2019. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Deadweight Loss, Two Round System, Malawi, Electoral Systems

References

[1]	Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting_system.
[2]	Menocal, A. (n.d) Why Electoral Systems Matter: An Analysis of their Incentives and Effects on Key Areas of Governance. Overseas Development Institute.
[3]	Cox, G. (1997) Making Votes Count: Strategic Coordination in the World’s Electoral Systems. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
[4]	Horowitz, D. (2003) Electoral Systems: A Primer for Decision Makers, Journal of Democracy: Vol. 14, No. 4. Pp 115 – 127.
[5]	Reynolds, A., Reilly, B., Ellis, A., (2005) Electoral System Design: The new International IDEA Handbook. Stockholm: International IDEA.
[6]	Government of Britain (2008) Review of Voting Systems: The Experience of New Voting Systems since 1997, Ministry of Justice.
[7]	Lijphart, A. (1999) Patterns of Democracy – Government Forms and Performance in Thirty-six Countries. New Haven: Yale University Press.
[8]	Malawi Electoral Commission (2014) Proceedings of National Conference on Electoral Reforms in Malawi. Lilongwe, National Democratic Institute and UK-aid.
[9]	Patel, N., Wahman, M. (2015) The Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Elections in Malawi, May, 2016. Africa Spectrum, Vol. 50, No. 1 pp 79-92.
[10]	Chiyamwaka, B. (2014) Malawi’s 2014 Tripartite Elections: Electoral Governance Tested. Southern Africa Report, Issue 1, Institute for Security Studies.
[11]	Kay, J (1980) The Deadweight Loss from a Tax System, Journal of Public Economics. Vol. 13, No. 1. Pp 111-119.
[12]	The Economic Times. Definition of Deadweight Loss http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/definition/deadweight-loss.
[13]	Malawi Electoral Commission (1994) Presidential Polling Results for 1994 General Elections; Blantyre.
[14]	International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA). Retrieved from www.idea.int.
[15]	EISA Research Report (2005) Elections and Democratisation in Malawi: An Uncertain Process.
[16]	EISA Report (2000) Malawi: Voter apathy hits local elections. https://eisa.org.za/wep/mal2000local.htm.
[17]	African Elections Database, TRIPOD http://africanelections.tripod.com/mw.html.

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Richard Zidana. (2019). Mind the Deadweight Loss: In Search for an Acceptable Electoral System in Malawi’s Nascent Democracy. Journal of Political Science and International Relations, 1(4), 72-78. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jpsir.20180104.11

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Richard Zidana. Mind the Deadweight Loss: In Search for an Acceptable Electoral System in Malawi’s Nascent Democracy. J. Polit. Sci. Int. Relat. 2019, 1(4), 72-78. doi: 10.11648/j.jpsir.20180104.11

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AMA Style

Richard Zidana. Mind the Deadweight Loss: In Search for an Acceptable Electoral System in Malawi’s Nascent Democracy. J Polit Sci Int Relat. 2019;1(4):72-78. doi: 10.11648/j.jpsir.20180104.11

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@article{10.11648/j.jpsir.20180104.11,
  author = {Richard Zidana},
  title = {Mind the Deadweight Loss: In Search for an Acceptable Electoral System in Malawi’s Nascent Democracy},
  journal = {Journal of Political Science and International Relations},
  volume = {1},
  number = {4},
  pages = {72-78},
  doi = {10.11648/j.jpsir.20180104.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jpsir.20180104.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jpsir.20180104.11},
  abstract = {There has been escalating debate amongst electoral stakeholders in Malawi agitating for change of the prevailing electoral laws to accommodate an electoral system that produces more legitimate candidates and outcomes – voted by the majority of electorate - especially at presidential election level. The aim of this paper was, therefore, to investigate and argue as to whether electoral system change is a solution in itself. The study advances the argument to the effect that before changing prevailing electoral systems (especially in a jurisdiction like Malawi where First-Past-the-Post is applied), greater caution should be taken since the extent to which a particular electoral system can be deemed and declared effective may vary from one democracy to another depending on varying societal factors. To illustrate the argument, the methodology used involved the analysis of Malawi’s voting dynamics since 1994. The main variables of analysis and discussion included the seemingly-entrenched regional pattern of voting as well as observable voter apathy records during the previous elections. Based on the observed trends, a hypothetical case was constructed to depict likely outcomes and how such outcomes run the risk of not adding any value over and above the outcomes obtained by maintaining the current electoral system. A review of election results over the years was conducted in order to inform the discussion and conclusion of this paper. The result of the analysis has concluded that in the absence of a thoughtful roll-out strategy prior to adoption of an unfamiliar electoral system to most Malawians; and in the midst of low civic and voter education practices, voter apathy, politics of regionalism, among others, two round systems run the risk of producing sub-optimal outcomes that may not in any way present an upgrade or improve the legitimacy and acceptability of elected governments and/or candidates.},
 year = {2019}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Mind the Deadweight Loss: In Search for an Acceptable Electoral System in Malawi’s Nascent Democracy
AU  - Richard Zidana
Y1  - 2019/02/26
PY  - 2019
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jpsir.20180104.11
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JF  - Journal of Political Science and International Relations
JO  - Journal of Political Science and International Relations
SP  - 72
EP  - 78
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2640-2785
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jpsir.20180104.11
AB  - There has been escalating debate amongst electoral stakeholders in Malawi agitating for change of the prevailing electoral laws to accommodate an electoral system that produces more legitimate candidates and outcomes – voted by the majority of electorate - especially at presidential election level. The aim of this paper was, therefore, to investigate and argue as to whether electoral system change is a solution in itself. The study advances the argument to the effect that before changing prevailing electoral systems (especially in a jurisdiction like Malawi where First-Past-the-Post is applied), greater caution should be taken since the extent to which a particular electoral system can be deemed and declared effective may vary from one democracy to another depending on varying societal factors. To illustrate the argument, the methodology used involved the analysis of Malawi’s voting dynamics since 1994. The main variables of analysis and discussion included the seemingly-entrenched regional pattern of voting as well as observable voter apathy records during the previous elections. Based on the observed trends, a hypothetical case was constructed to depict likely outcomes and how such outcomes run the risk of not adding any value over and above the outcomes obtained by maintaining the current electoral system. A review of election results over the years was conducted in order to inform the discussion and conclusion of this paper. The result of the analysis has concluded that in the absence of a thoughtful roll-out strategy prior to adoption of an unfamiliar electoral system to most Malawians; and in the midst of low civic and voter education practices, voter apathy, politics of regionalism, among others, two round systems run the risk of producing sub-optimal outcomes that may not in any way present an upgrade or improve the legitimacy and acceptability of elected governments and/or candidates.
VL  - 1
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Author Information

Richard Zidana

Small and Medium Enterprises Development Institute (SMEDI), Lilongwe, Malawi

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Richard Zidana. (2019). Mind the Deadweight Loss: In Search for an Acceptable Electoral System in Malawi’s Nascent Democracy. Journal of Political Science and International Relations, 1(4), 72-78. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jpsir.20180104.11

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ACS Style

Richard Zidana. Mind the Deadweight Loss: In Search for an Acceptable Electoral System in Malawi’s Nascent Democracy. J. Polit. Sci. Int. Relat. 2019, 1(4), 72-78. doi: 10.11648/j.jpsir.20180104.11

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AMA Style

Richard Zidana. Mind the Deadweight Loss: In Search for an Acceptable Electoral System in Malawi’s Nascent Democracy. J Polit Sci Int Relat. 2019;1(4):72-78. doi: 10.11648/j.jpsir.20180104.11

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@article{10.11648/j.jpsir.20180104.11,
  author = {Richard Zidana},
  title = {Mind the Deadweight Loss: In Search for an Acceptable Electoral System in Malawi’s Nascent Democracy},
  journal = {Journal of Political Science and International Relations},
  volume = {1},
  number = {4},
  pages = {72-78},
  doi = {10.11648/j.jpsir.20180104.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jpsir.20180104.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jpsir.20180104.11},
  abstract = {There has been escalating debate amongst electoral stakeholders in Malawi agitating for change of the prevailing electoral laws to accommodate an electoral system that produces more legitimate candidates and outcomes – voted by the majority of electorate - especially at presidential election level. The aim of this paper was, therefore, to investigate and argue as to whether electoral system change is a solution in itself. The study advances the argument to the effect that before changing prevailing electoral systems (especially in a jurisdiction like Malawi where First-Past-the-Post is applied), greater caution should be taken since the extent to which a particular electoral system can be deemed and declared effective may vary from one democracy to another depending on varying societal factors. To illustrate the argument, the methodology used involved the analysis of Malawi’s voting dynamics since 1994. The main variables of analysis and discussion included the seemingly-entrenched regional pattern of voting as well as observable voter apathy records during the previous elections. Based on the observed trends, a hypothetical case was constructed to depict likely outcomes and how such outcomes run the risk of not adding any value over and above the outcomes obtained by maintaining the current electoral system. A review of election results over the years was conducted in order to inform the discussion and conclusion of this paper. The result of the analysis has concluded that in the absence of a thoughtful roll-out strategy prior to adoption of an unfamiliar electoral system to most Malawians; and in the midst of low civic and voter education practices, voter apathy, politics of regionalism, among others, two round systems run the risk of producing sub-optimal outcomes that may not in any way present an upgrade or improve the legitimacy and acceptability of elected governments and/or candidates.},
 year = {2019}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Mind the Deadweight Loss: In Search for an Acceptable Electoral System in Malawi’s Nascent Democracy
AU  - Richard Zidana
Y1  - 2019/02/26
PY  - 2019
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jpsir.20180104.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.jpsir.20180104.11
T2  - Journal of Political Science and International Relations
JF  - Journal of Political Science and International Relations
JO  - Journal of Political Science and International Relations
SP  - 72
EP  - 78
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2640-2785
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jpsir.20180104.11
AB  - There has been escalating debate amongst electoral stakeholders in Malawi agitating for change of the prevailing electoral laws to accommodate an electoral system that produces more legitimate candidates and outcomes – voted by the majority of electorate - especially at presidential election level. The aim of this paper was, therefore, to investigate and argue as to whether electoral system change is a solution in itself. The study advances the argument to the effect that before changing prevailing electoral systems (especially in a jurisdiction like Malawi where First-Past-the-Post is applied), greater caution should be taken since the extent to which a particular electoral system can be deemed and declared effective may vary from one democracy to another depending on varying societal factors. To illustrate the argument, the methodology used involved the analysis of Malawi’s voting dynamics since 1994. The main variables of analysis and discussion included the seemingly-entrenched regional pattern of voting as well as observable voter apathy records during the previous elections. Based on the observed trends, a hypothetical case was constructed to depict likely outcomes and how such outcomes run the risk of not adding any value over and above the outcomes obtained by maintaining the current electoral system. A review of election results over the years was conducted in order to inform the discussion and conclusion of this paper. The result of the analysis has concluded that in the absence of a thoughtful roll-out strategy prior to adoption of an unfamiliar electoral system to most Malawians; and in the midst of low civic and voter education practices, voter apathy, politics of regionalism, among others, two round systems run the risk of producing sub-optimal outcomes that may not in any way present an upgrade or improve the legitimacy and acceptability of elected governments and/or candidates.
VL  - 1
IS  - 4
ER  -

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