Are Voters Equal under Proportional Representation?

We develop and apply a new conceptual framework and measure for evaluating electoral systems, focusing on (in)equality in parliamentary representation. Our main arena of interest is proportional representation with districts, an electoral system employed by more than half of democratic states, and we draw on an almost entirely overlooked fact: Electoral regimes vary substantially within countries, with some voters casting their ballot in semi‐majoritarian districts of few representatives and others in large and proportional ones. This within‐country institutional variation, we contend, affects representational (in)equality. Evaluating equality in parliamentary representation, we demonstrate that districted proportional representation often leads to overrepresentation of voters supporting right‐leaning parties. Utilizing district‐level data from 20 Western parliamentary democracies and complementing our within‐country approach with a cross‐country analysis, we further show that where parliaments are elected by large and small districts, representational inequality among voters is greater compared with countries in which parliament is elected by even‐magnitude districts.     

Kawasaki disease: a review of pathologic features of stage IV disease and two cases of sudden death among asymptotic young adults

Kawasaki disease (KD) primarily affects infants and is rarely fatal in young adults. The sequelae of KD can result in death months to years after the exposure to the causative agent. Such deaths are defined as Stage IV KD, which is characterized by the formation of multiple aneurysms in the coronary arteries, calcification and recanalization of the obstructed portions of the coronary arteries, and myocardial infarction and ischemia. A 10-year retrospective review of sudden deaths in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, identified two fatal cases of Stage IV KD involving young adults. These two young adults were healthy and completely asymptomatic; they had no identifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease before the fatal event. One adult was involved in vigorous exercise, and the other was recumbent in bed at the time of death.     

Deaths among criminal suspects, law enforcement officers, civilians, and prison inmates: a coroner-based study

During the interaction between a criminal suspect and a law enforcement officer, the risk of death to the suspect, police, or civilians is increased. Unfortunately, very little information is available on the death risks arising from this interaction. This study provides an assessment of the risk of death to law enforcement officers, suspects, and bystanders by separating the interactions into the following 4 phases: (1) events prior to and during arrest; (2) police pursuits or chases; (3) transport of the suspects; and (4) during incarceration. A 5-year (1994-1998) retrospective coroner-based study of all deaths that occurred during these 4 phases was conducted in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. A total of 77 cases were identified; 14 deaths (18.1%) occurred prior to or during arrest, 10 (12.9%) during police chases, 2 (2.6%) occurred while the actors were being transported, and 51 (66.2%) during incarceration. The majority of cases (98.7%) were males, blacks (63.6%), and single (50.6%). The respective risks of death by phase were prearrest/arrest, 6.5 per 100,000 arrests; transport, 0.93 deaths per 100,000 arrests; and incarceration, 268 deaths per 100,000 inmates. Study showed the following: (1) risk of death to offenders was greatest during police pursuits; (2) the risks during arrests are not insignificant and involved an officer being threatened with a weapon in one-third of the events; and (3) deaths among inmates were primarily due to natural causes.     

How Diffusion of Power in Parliaments Affects Voter Choice

e-mail: oritk{at}umich.edu I analyze how the diffusion of power in parliaments affectsvoter choice. Using a two-step research design, I first estimatean individual-level model of voter choice in 14 parliamentarydemocracies, allowing voters to hold preferences both for theparty most similar to them ideologically and for the party thatpulls policy in their direction. While in systems in which poweris concentrated the two motivations converge, in consensualsystems they diverge: since votes will likely be watered downby bargaining in the parliament, outcome-oriented choice inconsensual systems often leads voters to endorse parties whosepositions differ from their own views. In the second step, Iutilize institutional measures of power diffusion in the parliamentto account for the degree to which voters in different politiespursue one motivation versus the other. I demonstrate that themore power diffusion and compromise built into the politicalsystem via institutional mechanisms, the more voters compensatefor the watering down of their vote by endorsing parties whosepositions differ from their own views.     

Sudden, unexpected death due to fourth ventricular subependymoma

A case of sudden, unexpected death due to fourth ventricular subependymoma (subependymal glomerate astrocytoma) in a 60-year-old man is presented. Sudden, unexpected death due to uncomplicated subependymoma has not been previously described.