Institut for Statskundskab

This paper provides a test of the generalizability of the barriers’ approach (Rahat and Hazan, 2011) to the study of electoral system reform attempts. It does so by examining a set of recent attempts of electoral system change in four Sub-Saharan countries (South Africa, Lesotho, Kenya, and Zimbabwe), some of which were successful, while other were abortive. The conclusion reached is that the barriers’ approach is useful as a helpful framework for evaluating such reform attempts, even though it is also less convincing in some cases. Two of the barriers (actors’ vested interest and the superiority of the institutional status quo) appear to be more important than the other five barriers, i.e., what one would also expect from the outset.