Local electoral systems in western Europe

This article describes and classifies the wide range of local electoral systems in Western Europe. A classification based on three fundamental dimensions of electoral systems shows that there are many different local electoral systems used in Western Europe. The question is addressed whether local electoral systems matter. Two potential ways to answer this question are explored, but actual research along these lines appears to be very scarce. This means that the debate on the advantages and disadvantages of local electoral systems will probably continue without much guidance from empirical research. It is argued that careful experiments at the local level and reporting about these experiments might give both politicians and political scientists some insight into the consequences of changing the local electoral system.