2003-2004 Eckstein Lecture
The 2003-04 Eckstein Lecture featured Ronald Rogowski of UCLA presenting his paper, "The Economic Policy Consequences of Electoral Systems: Can Proportional Representation Survive Globalization" on Thursday, January 29, 2004 at 7:00pm in 1304 Social Ecology II. The lecture was free and open to the public.
Can proportional representation (PR) electoral systems survive globalization? Although Harry Eckstein consistently debunked claims that PR was inimical to democratic survival, he readily accepted the political effects of electoral systems. However, Eckstein devoted little consideration to how electoral systems might influence economic policy. Earlier research showed that PR leads to more Leftist governments, higher overall taxation and spending, greater power for producers (including organized labor), and greater redistribution and less economic inequality. More recent research strongly suggests that PR systems innovate less and adapt less well to the demands of a rapidly globalizing economy. Other findings imply that PR thrives only where economic inequality is low. In this fifth annual Eckstein Lecture, Rogowksi links these arguments and considers whether the pressures of globalization will increasingly disadvantage PR regimes.
Ronald Rogowski specializes in comparative politics and political economy. He received his Ph.D. from Princeton University, and Harry Eckstein was his thesis advisor. His book Commerce and Coalitions explores how international trade shapes domestic political coalitions. In 1999, the American Political Science Association honored him by organizing a roundtable discussion to commemorate the tenth anniversary of its publication. His earlier book, Rational Legitimacy; A Theory of Political Support, is a critical study of political culture. Rogowski previously served as the Chair of the Political Science Department at UCLA, is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and has been a Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences.
The Eckstein Lecture is a memorial to the co-founder of the Center, Harry Eckstein, whose research and publications focused on understanding the conditions fostering democracy. This is the fifth annual Eckstein Lecture.