Electoral List Allocation

THUMBNAIL: 2023/07/X/HS6/00578
Start Date: 2023-10-05
End Date: 2024-10-04
PI: Dr. Justyna Nyćkowiak
Entity/Leader: University of Zielona Góra

Electoral List Allocation: A Dynamic Analysis of Candidate Positioning in the Sejm Elections 1991-2023 - Preliminary Research

To fully understand electoral processes, it is crucial to study all candidates, not just those who ultimately win seats. To date, most research on Sejm elections in Poland has focused on institutional and formal-legal aspects, omitting the broader context, particularly the candidacy histories of individuals who have run for office more than once. These analyses have often been limited to selected groups of parliamentarians, which lacks a comprehensive picture of how voters make their decisions based on the previous performance of candidates and the parties they represent.

One of the most important findings of electoral research is that a candidate's position on the electoral list has a significant impact on their chances of success. Therefore, analyzing how candidates are positioned on electoral lists is crucial to understanding how the composition of the Sejm is shaped. Despite this, no comprehensive study has yet been conducted that encompasses those who run for office more than twice—those who engage in politics regularly, not occasionally. While they constitute less than 10% of all candidates, it is from this group that the majority of future members of parliament and senators emerge. Therefore, research on this group can provide valuable insights into how the political elite emerges.

Although attempts have been made to analyze these issues, previous studies have been limited in time or focused on a narrow group of candidates. My research could significantly expand our knowledge of the mechanisms of political representation and the quality of political elites in Poland, allowing for a deeper understanding of the Polish electoral system and its impact on the functioning of democracy.

 Results of the research project

The result of the research project is the POLCAND_ELEC database (Allocation of Seats on Electoral Lists: A Dynamic Analysis of Candidate Positioning in Parliamentary Elections from 1991 to 2023) available in the open access Zenodo repository (DOI 10.5281/zenodo.13980894).

 Open-access publications that use this data:

• Nyćkowiak, J., & Kołodziej, T. (2021). Switching Political Affiliation. Polish Sociological Review, (213), 47-70.
• Nyćkowiak, J. (2020). Professional Politicians in the Period of Systemic Transition. Elipsa Publishing House.
• Tunkis, P. J. (2018). Strength in Numbers: Social Identity, Political Ambition, and Group-based Legislative Party Switching (Doctoral dissertation, The Ohio State University).
• Tunkis, P. J., & Dubrow, J. K. (2017). Political Biographies and Electoral Outcomes Across Post-Communist Europe. Problems of Post-Communism, 64(2), 63-64.
• Tunkis, P. J. (2017). The Ties that Bind: Do Group Associations among Legislators Matter for Political Parties? Problems of Post-Communism, 64(2), 79-93.
• Nićkowiak, J., Dubrow, J. K., & Kołodziej, T. (2016). International Scientific Collaboration In The Electoral Control In Eastern Europe Project. Rocznik Lubuski, 42(2a), 111-123.
• Towards Electoral Control in Central and Eastern Europe, edited by Joshua Kjerulf Dubrow and Nika Palaguta, IFiS PAN Publishers, 2016
• Nićkowiak, J. (2014). Construction and Use of a Relational Database to Analyze the Careers of Professional Politicians in Poland, 1985–2007. ASK. Research & Methods, (23), 115-134.