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James, Toby S. 
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5826-5461
(2010)
Electoral modernisation or elite statecraft: Electoral administration in the UK 1997-2007.
British Politics, 5 (2).
pp. 179-201.
ISSN 1746-918X
Abstract
Since coming to power in 1997 New Labour has introduced an enormous number of constitutional changes. Yet one aspect of change that has been frequently overlooked are those made to electoral administration, which had previously been largely unaltered since the 1918 Representation of the People Act. This article outlines the changes made, seeks to explain the forces behind these changes and offers a theoretical model capable of explaining these and other broader constitutional reforms. It argues that ‘modernisation’, social change and declining political participation were important forces for change, but that ultimately it was party interest that guided the actions of Labour Party elites. As such, it is fruitful to consider the reform process as elite statecraft by using the theoretical model developed by Jim Bulpitt.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Faculty \ School: | Faculty of Arts and Humanities > School of Politics, Philosophy, Language and Communication Studies (former - to 2024) |
| UEA Research Groups: | Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Research Groups > Political, Social and International Studies Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Research Groups > Policy & Politics |
| Depositing User: | Katherine Humphries |
| Date Deposited: | 17 Sep 2012 13:49 |
| Last Modified: | 24 Sep 2024 09:13 |
| URI: | https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/39567 |
| DOI: | 10.1057/bp.2009.31 |
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