Small states and large questions : elections and political participation

Abstract

What big lessons can small states teach us when it comes to elections and political participation? Reflecting on Veenendaal and Corbett’s 2015 article ‘Why small states offer important answers to large questions’, this article takes democratic experimentation as its starting point for exploring the impact of the study of small states on our understanding of democracy. It focuses on three key aspects of democratic innovation in small states: electoral system reform, cohabitation, and models to increase women’s representation. It also offers some avenues for future research in an era of significant change for both small and larger states.