Introduction: How electoral systems matter : for politics and the scientific study thereof
Part I: Rules, tools, and context. Components of simple electoral systems ; Components of complex and composite electoral systems ; The number of parties and proportionality : two key tools for analysis ; Examples of electoral systems : nationwide PR in Israel and FPTP in Trinidad and Tobago, and India ; Examples of electoral systems : districted PR and list type in Finland, Portugal, and elsewhere
Part II: The interparty dimension of assembly politics : the seat product model. The seat product model of the effective number of assembly parties ; Winners plus one : how we get votes from seats ; Basic laws of party seats and votes : and application to deviation from proportionality ; All politics is national? : how "embeddedness" in a national assembly system shapes votes and seats in a district
Part III: Bringing the president in. Coattails upside down : how assembly elections shape presidential elections ; How election timing matters in presidential democracy : and how it does not
Part IV: The intraparty dimension of representation. How electoral systems shape candidate vote shares ; Pooling or its absence : nomination and alliance behavior
Part V: What can we expect from models of electoral systems? Extending the seat product model : upper tiers and ethnic diversity ; Complexities in electoral systems : do simple models work anyway?
Conclusion: Substance and method.