Electoral Integrity and Political Regimes ― Actors, Strategies and Consequences

Following a normative approach that suggests international norms and standards for elections apply universally, regardless of regime type or cultural context, this book examines challenges to electoral integrity, the actor involved, and shows the consequences of electoral malpractice and poor electoral integrity can vary by regime. It bridges the literature on electoral integrity with that of political regime types, by arguing that there are unique challenges to electoral integrity based on regime type.

Looking specifically at questions of political efficacy and turnout, the threat of electoral violence and protest, and finally, the possibility of regime change, it seeks to expand the scholarly understanding of electoral integrity and diverse regimes by exploring the diversity of challenges to electoral integrity, the diversity of actors that are involved and the diversity of consequences that can result.

This text will be of key interest to scholars, students and practitioners of electoral studies, and more broadly of relevance to comparative politics, international development, political behavior and democracy, democratization, and autocracy.

Holly Ann Garnett is based at the Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Her research confronts the challenge of strengthening electoral integrity around the globe by focusing on the design and practices of election management bodies.

Margarita Zavadskaya is based at the European University Institute in Fiesole, Italy and European University at Saint Petersburg, Russia. Her research considers the political economy of authoritarian regimes and their persistence.