How to Win a Lost Election: Malapportionment and Malaysia’s 2013 General Election

Abstract

Allegations of electoral irregularities loomed large prior to and following Malaysia’s 13th general election in May 2013. Yet while these irregularities elicited strong reactions domestically and internationally, they are unlikely to have played a significant role in shaping the election’s outcome. Rather than how the game was played, it was the very rules of the game itself that were responsible for returning the United Malays National Organization and its Barisan Nasional coalition to power for the 13th consecutive time, as Malaysia’s electoral institutions quietly transformed the incumbent coalition’s 4% deficit in the popular vote into a 20% winning margin of parliamentary seats. This is largely the result of substantial variation in the size of electoral districts, which had the effect of delivering parliamentary seats to Barisan Nasional with significantly fewer votes than were required by the opposition to secure its seats. This article has two primary aims. First, it seeks to understand better malapportionment in Malaysia by examining the degree of distortions at multiple institutional levels. It demonstrates these distortions to be exceptionally high from a comparative perspective. Second, it seeks to understand better the factors responsible for the size variation of electoral districts, specifically the extent to which the non-partisan factors stipulated in the constitution can explain the variation. Several tests are conducted using new data on the density of voters in electoral districts. The results strongly indicate a partisan element to malapportionment. This creates an institutionalized bias against the opposition and risks increasing polarization in the Malaysian polity.     

试论“双重失灵”与农村“NGO”的作用

中国农村公共服务领域存在着＂市场失灵＂和＂政府失灵＂的现象。农村NGO以其非营利性、非政府性、公益性等属性优势,可以有效地弥补＂双重失灵＂,在健全农村公共物品和服务有效供给体系、有效监督与遏制腐败、构建农民公共需求表达机制等方面,发挥着不可替代的作用。     

和谐视野下的治安管理主体研究——以法定职权为视角

治安管理主体是治安管理学理论中的重要概念,但是,目前对治安管理主体的理论阐释略显混乱。这种混乱的主要表现就是名称不统一,或称之为治安管理体制、或治安管理组织、或治安管理机构等。从逻辑学的角度,以职权为起点探讨治安管理主体的含义,可将其划分为国家机构类治安管理主体和社会组织类治安管理主体。     

派出所大事记和组织沿革的编写

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对改革乡镇工会组织领导体制的思考

改革乡镇工会组织领导体制是巩固和发展新建企业工会工作成果的关键。乡镇工会采取工会工作委员会的形式在刚刚起步组建的时候非常有效,但随着乡镇工会逐渐发展和规范之后,工会工作委员会这种形式所存在的弊端愈来愈突出。因此,需要进一步理顺乡镇工会的组织领导体制,按照联合制、代表制的原则,拓宽乡镇工会干部直选、聘用的渠道,不断增强乡镇工会干部的事业心和责任感。     

完善我国有组织犯罪立法的思考

有组织犯罪是一种严重的犯罪现象,在我国呈现不断发展的态势。在我国有组织犯罪的概念仅包括黑社会犯罪。新刑法第294条规定了三个罪名以打击有组织犯罪,但仍然存在不足之处。为进一步完善我国有组织犯罪立法,应增加或补充相应罪名,以完备法律规定;加强反洗钱力度,完善配套法规;增强财产刑的处罚,以增强打击有组织犯罪的针对性。     

婚检制度改革的背景、缺陷、完善及发展趋势——从政府与社会分权的视角

从强制婚检到自愿婚检意味着政府从婚检领域的退出,但是,自愿婚检不能很好地保护公共利益,也不能保障个人的知情权。因此,政府不能一走了之,而是要尽快实现从“划桨政府”向“掌舵政府”的转变,通过建立和培育社会中介组织来填补政府退出后留下的权力空位。随着社会的进一步发展以及福利政府理念的确立,婚检福利化是婚检制度发展的大势所趋。     

行政任务变迁下的行政组织法改革

公共行政改革的效能革新目标,在法治范围内更好地促进了行政任务的实现,成为勾勒行政组织法理论的主线。而行政组织法学的分析框架,除应修正过去涉及的行政组织类型、中央与地方分权、行政机关编制、公务员法等传统内容外,更应考虑纳入外部竞争机制、整体运作模式、财政自主权、工作人员激励机制、任务、权限、责任三位一体的结构与监督等相关要素。行政组织法的改革,蕴含着行政法基础理论变革的新契机。     

论有组织犯罪的几个基本问题

有组织犯罪是国际性的犯罪现象。目前最重要的是 明确判断和区分有组织犯罪的各种类型及特征,这是把握有组织犯罪问题的前提。在此基础上,才能对相关的犯罪形势作出正确的评估,才能设计和采取正确的对策。惩治有组织犯罪的关键是铲除有利于其滋生蔓延的社会土壤,加强警队的政治素质、业务素质的建设。同时,应广泛深入地开展国际警务合作。     

How the World Trade Organization shapes regulatory governance

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