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Rein Taagepera

Bio: Rein Taagepera is an academic researcher from University of California, Irvine. The author has contributed to research in topics: Population & Proportional representation. The author has an hindex of 34, co-authored 124 publications receiving 6394 citations. Previous affiliations of Rein Taagepera include University of Toronto & University of Tartu.


Papers
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Laakso and Taagepera as discussed by the authors proposed a measure called effective number of parties (effective q) to measure the effect of parties' size on the stability of a political system.
Abstract: The qEffectiveq Number of Parties: qA Measure with Application to West Europeq Laakso, Markku;Taagepera, Rein Comparative Political Studies; Apr 1, 1979; 12, 1; Proouest pg. 3 “EFFECTIVE” NUMBER OF PARTIES A Measure with Application to West Europe MARKKU LAAKSO University of Helsinki REIN TAAGEPERA University of California, Irvine I s a large number of parties bound to destabilize a political system (Duverger, 1954) or is it not (e.g., Lijphart, 1968; Nilson, 1974)? Before this question can be answered, the number of parties must be operationally defined in a way that takes into account their relative size. Such a number is also needed if one wants to detect trends toward fewer or more numerous parties over time, or the effects of a proposed change in electoral rules. This article presents ways to calculate this important political variable, calculates it for I42 post-1944 elections in 15 West European countries, and analyzes its possible effect on stability. We often talk of two-party and multiparty systems. We further dis- tinguish three~ or four—party systems in some countries, and even talk (e. g., Blondel, 1969: 535) of a two-and-a-half-party system whenthere is a third party of marginal size. Mexico could be viewed as a one-and-a- half-party system because the PR1 is so much larger than all other parties. Rather than take the number of all existing parties, including even the very smallest, one visibly has a need for a number that takes into account their relative size. We will call this number the “effective number of parties,” using the word “effectiveq somewhat in the sense pressure group literature uses it when talking about “effective access” (Truman, 195]: 506), but even more in the operational sense physicists give it when they talk about effective current (Richards et al., 1960: 594), COMPARATIVE POLITICAL STUDIES. Vol. I2 No. I. April 1979 3-27 © I979 Sage Publications. Inc. Copyright (c) 2000 Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company Copyright (c) Sage Inc.

2,842 citations

Book
02 Sep 1993
TL;DR: Misiunas and Taagepera as mentioned in this paper describe and analyze how the Baltic nations survived fifty years of social disruption, language discrimination, and Russian colonialism, and some notable differences between them are pointed out.
Abstract: In this updated edition of their renowned The Baltic States, Romuald Misiunas and Rein Taagepera bring the story of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia up to the 1990s. The authors describe and analyze how the Baltic nations survived fifty years of social disruption, language discrimination, and Russian colonialism. The nations' histories are fully integrated and compared, and some notable differences between them are pointed out. With two new chapters, a revised preface, and an appendix on the end of Soviet domination, this expanded study covers a tumultuous period of political, economic, cultural, and ecological reform.

216 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Cultural factors, as measured by the two dimensions of values identified by Inglehart, explain 75% of the variation in the perceived corruption index across non-communist countries.
Abstract: Cultural factors, as measured by the two dimensions of values identified by Inglehart, explain 75% of the variation in the Perceived Corruption Index across non-communist countries. A strong ‘survival’ orientation contributes twice as much as a strong ‘traditional’ orientation to higher levels of corruption. When controlling for these cultural variables, communism and post-communism increase the levels of corruption even further, both directly and by contributing to heavier emphasis on survival values. Communism created structural incentives for engaging in corrupt behaviors, which became such a widespread fact of life that they became rooted in the culture in these societies – that is, the social norms and practices prevailing in communist societies. The transitions toward democracy and market economies have not yet erased this culture of corruption. In addition, the process of privatization itself has opened myriad opportunities for corruption. The effects are manifest in comparisons of corruption in no...

204 citations

Book
20 May 1993
TL;DR: In this article, Estonias Role in the World: From Prehistory to World War I, Independence and World War II, Russian Occupation, Soviet Occupation and Estonian Independence.
Abstract: * Estonias Role in the World * From Prehistory to World War I * Independence and World War II * Soviet Occupation * History Starts to Move * The Quest for Autonomy * The Quest for Independence * Independence in an Interdependent World

180 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a quantitative model was developed to predict the effective number of parties in a district for a given magnitude (number of seats) of the district and the number of seats in the national assembly.
Abstract: Iby means of a quantitative model. The model predicts the range within which the effective number of parties in a district should fall for a given magnitude (number of seats) of the district. At the national level, a related model predicts the effective number of parties based on the effective magnitude and the number of seats in the national assembly. The institutional variables considered-magnitude and assembly size-define a great portion of the structural constraints within which a given country's politics must take place. The model developed provides a good fit to data in spite of its having been developed from outrageously simple starting assumptions. Tf one had to give a single number to characterize the politics of any country that employs competitive elections, it would be the number of parties active in its national assembly. This number would not tell the whole story, by any means; but it tells us more than any other single number or term could. The number of parties directly or indirectly affects other important aspects of how a political system functions, including how long its cabinets last if the system is parliamentary (Lijphart 1984) and how elections translate into "citizen control" of policymakers (Powell 1989). The number of parties is a most important feature in a country's politics and therefore in comparative studies also. We shall discuss the ways of defining this number operationally further on. What determines the number of parties? History, present issues, and institutions all intervene. But if one had to give a single major factor, it would have to be the district magnitude (M), that is, the number of seats allocated in an electoral district (Rae 1967). The well-known Duverger rule says that one-seat districts tend to lead to two-party systems, while multiseat districts tend to go with multiparty systems (Duverger 1951, 1954; see also Riker 1982). One can be more precise, since even within the multiseat category, a larger M tends to go with a larger number of parties. But before we can attempt to define a relationship between district magnitude and the number of parties, we need to establish a means to measure the number of parties.

174 citations


Cited by
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Book
01 Jan 2005
TL;DR: The authors presented a model of social change that predicts how the value systems play a crucial role in the emergence and flourishing of democratic institutions, and that modernisation brings coherent cultural changes that are conducive to democratisation.
Abstract: This book demonstrates that people's basic values and beliefs are changing, in ways that affect their political, sexual, economic, and religious behaviour. These changes are roughly predictable: to a large extent, they can be interpreted on the basis of a revised version of modernisation theory presented here. Drawing on a massive body of evidence from societies containing 85 percent of the world's population, the authors demonstrate that modernisation is a process of human development, in which economic development gives rise to cultural changes that make individual autonomy, gender equality, and democracy increasingly likely. The authors present a model of social change that predicts how the value systems play a crucial role in the emergence and flourishing of democratic institutions - and that modernisation brings coherent cultural changes that are conducive to democratisation.

3,016 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Laakso and Taagepera as discussed by the authors proposed a measure called effective number of parties (effective q) to measure the effect of parties' size on the stability of a political system.
Abstract: The qEffectiveq Number of Parties: qA Measure with Application to West Europeq Laakso, Markku;Taagepera, Rein Comparative Political Studies; Apr 1, 1979; 12, 1; Proouest pg. 3 “EFFECTIVE” NUMBER OF PARTIES A Measure with Application to West Europe MARKKU LAAKSO University of Helsinki REIN TAAGEPERA University of California, Irvine I s a large number of parties bound to destabilize a political system (Duverger, 1954) or is it not (e.g., Lijphart, 1968; Nilson, 1974)? Before this question can be answered, the number of parties must be operationally defined in a way that takes into account their relative size. Such a number is also needed if one wants to detect trends toward fewer or more numerous parties over time, or the effects of a proposed change in electoral rules. This article presents ways to calculate this important political variable, calculates it for I42 post-1944 elections in 15 West European countries, and analyzes its possible effect on stability. We often talk of two-party and multiparty systems. We further dis- tinguish three~ or four—party systems in some countries, and even talk (e. g., Blondel, 1969: 535) of a two-and-a-half-party system whenthere is a third party of marginal size. Mexico could be viewed as a one-and-a- half-party system because the PR1 is so much larger than all other parties. Rather than take the number of all existing parties, including even the very smallest, one visibly has a need for a number that takes into account their relative size. We will call this number the “effective number of parties,” using the word “effectiveq somewhat in the sense pressure group literature uses it when talking about “effective access” (Truman, 195]: 506), but even more in the operational sense physicists give it when they talk about effective current (Richards et al., 1960: 594), COMPARATIVE POLITICAL STUDIES. Vol. I2 No. I. April 1979 3-27 © I979 Sage Publications. Inc. Copyright (c) 2000 Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company Copyright (c) Sage Inc.

2,842 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Results indicate that more innovative banks are managed by more educated teams who are diverse with respect to their functional areas of expertise.
Abstract: The relationship between the social composition of top management teams and innovation adoptions was examined in a sample of 199 banks. The following characteristics of top management teams were examined: average age, average tenure in the firm, education level, and heterogeneity with respect to age, tenure, educational background, and functional background. In addition, the effects of bank size, location (state of operation), and team size were assessed. Results indicate that more innovative banks are managed by more educated teams who are diverse with respect to their functional areas of expertise. These relationships remain significant when organizational size, team size, and location are controlled for.

2,824 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
01 May 1970

1,935 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the impact of diversity on team performance and found that functional and tenure diversity each has its own distinct effects, and that the greater the functional diversity, the more team members communicated outside the team's boundaries.
Abstract: The increasing reliance on teams in organizations raises the question of how these teams should be formed. Should they be formed completely of engineers or should they include a range of specialists? Should they be made up to people who have long tenure in the organization, or those with a wide range of experience? As teams increasingly get called upon to do more complex tasks and to cross functional boundaries within the organization, conventional wisdom has suggested that teams be composed of more diverse members. This study suggests that the answer may not be so simple. Using 409 individuals from 45 new product teams in five high-technology companies, this study investigates the impact of diversity on team performance. We found that functional and tenure diversity each has its own distinct effects. The greater the functional diversity, the more team members communicated outside the team's boundaries. This communication was with a variety of groups such as marketing, manufacturing, and top management. T...

1,860 citations