Comparing SMD Systems: Japan, South Korea, Germany's Excess Lawyers

electoral systems principal-agent relationship south korea Comparative Politics @JJPS 1 dataset Dataverse

Lawyers dominate many national parliaments. This study compares three countries with mixed electoral systems - Japan, South Korea and Germany.

Electoral System Types

Single-Member District (SMD) system: Focuses on principal-agent representation logic
Proportional Representation (PR): Employs microcosm model for diverse candidate selection

Comparative Findings

Lawyer-legislators are more common in countries primarily using SMD systems, even after accounting for other factors.

Why It Matters

This suggests that electoral system design significantly shapes the occupational profile of legislatures.

Article card for article: Lawyers and Law Graduates in Parliaments as a Consequence of SMD Electoral Systems: Comparing Japan, South Korea, and Germany.

Lawyers and Law Graduates in Parliaments as a Consequence of SMD Electoral Systems: Comparing Japan, South Korea, and Germany. was authored by Devin Joshi. It was published by Cambridge in JJPS in 2020.