This is the first book to define the current status of electoral studies in New Zealand. It canvasses various approaches that have been used to explain voting, illustrating the theoretical complexities involved. While studies of electoral behaviour have been a predominant concern since the early 1960s, much of the early research was descriptive rather than quantitative. Recent research--which is covered here--has turned its attention to the individual motivations behind voting, and the contributors to the volume are New Zealand's leading quantitative analysts.

Based on New Zealand Election Study (NZES) data from a sample of 2,830 eligible voters, A Bark But No Bite explores a puzzle. While there was a lot of talk about inequality before the 2014 general election in New Zealand, and during the campaign, concern about inequality appeared to have no tangible effect on the election outcome. This book shows that, by its attention to the concerns of middle ground voters, the National Government had reduced the potential of policy differences to drive voter choices. Perceptions of competence and effective leadership were National’s strongest suit, crowding out voter concerns over matters of policy. When voters did consider policy, inequality and related concerns were second to the economy. Traditional priorities about health and education, and perceptions of party differences on these matters, had faded into the background. Meanwhile, voters doubted the opposition Labour Party’s ability to govern effectively in an alternative coalition to that of the National-led government. Labour’s policies were too many. In various ways, they would have chipped away at inequality, but lacked a coherent narrative and presentation. This book confirms that Labour’s proposal to increase the age for receipt of New Zealand superannuation gained Labour no new votes. Hopes that the ‘missing million’ people who failed to turn out to vote in 2011 would vote in 2014 and give an advantage to the left were unfulfilled. A comprehensive study of the 2014 election, this book provides a detailed account of all these findings, and a host of others.

"This book is concerned primarily with placing before the New Zealand public the results of a survey of the political orientations of New Zealanders conducted immediately after the 1975 general election ..." -- Preface (page 1).

This book was first published in 1994, and has been extensively revised to reflect political developments since then, particularly MMP. It is intended as an introductory text for undergraduate students, and covers the main political institutions, key concepts and academic controversies, and general theories of the state. The author is a well known political scientist. Lists of suggested reading, a bibliography, and index are provided. Soft cover.

What happens when a country moves away from British-style, two-party politics and towards multiparty politics, adopting a European system of 'mixed member' proportional representation (MMP)? New Zealand's historic first MMP election was held on 12 October 1996. Voters' Victory? examines what New Zealanders could expect from MMP on the basis of international experience and theory, then focuses on the distinctive features of the election and its outcome: the party changes; the patterns of voting; how people used their two votes; how well they understood MMP; shifts in support for parties and leaders in the campaign; the composition of the new Parliament; the capture of the Maori seats by New Zealand First; and the fateful National-New Zealand First coalition outcome.