Browsing by Author "Coletto, David"

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    A matter of quality?: candidates in Canadian consituency elections
    (2010) Coletto, David; Young, Lisa; Stewart, David
    Most students of Canadian elections emphasize the role of national campaigns in deciding the outcome of these elections. I challenge this orthodoxy as incomplete and argue that we need to pay more attention to who runs for Parliament. Without studying what happens in the constituencies and among the individuals who seek to become parliamentarians, we cannot fully understand the process of Canadian electoral politics. For that reason, I shine some light on the hundreds of individuals who run for Canada's Parliament during each general election. In doing so, I seek to identify the ways in which candidates might matter in Canada and then test a number of hypotheses related to their effect on Canadian elections. This study is the first empirical examination of the role candidates play in Canadian elections. I classify candidates as being either quality or non-quality based on their previous political experience and occupation. The American political science literature suggests that quality candidates are better candidates. They raise and spend more money; they attract more volunteers; and, they are more likely to win their elections. Testing this American concept on the 2004, 2006, and 2008 Canadian General Elections, I find that American findings hold true in Canada. Quality candidates, in contrast to non-quality candidates, are more strategic and nm when conditions are favourable. They also raise more money and perform better on Election Day, all else being equal.
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    Party Finance in Canada Since 2001
    (2007) Coletto, David; Fitzsimmons, Scott; McDougall, Alex
    Much like electoral systems, election finance regimes are not benign institutions but central features of a political system that can have significant effects on the nature of democracy within a country. Money impacts the ability of political parties to contest elections and deliver their message to voters. It is an important resource to increase political knowledge and mobilize voters during an election. Therefore, assessing the state of political finance of Canadian political parties is essential to understanding the Canadian political environment.