Rational Choices and Irrational Results: The DPP`s Institutional Choice in Taiwan`s Electoral Reform

Abstract

Even though the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) successfully secured its traditional degree of electoral support in Taiwan`s seventh legislative election held on January 12, 2008, its share of seats under the mixed-member majoritarian system declined dramatically. From a rational choice perspective, this paper asks a big question: Why did the DPP government adopt an electoral system that disadvantaged its own party? By examining its prior electoral experience and its expected electoral payoffs under the new system, we assert that the DPP`s institutional choice remained rational. Nevertheless, failure to garner electoral support from the traditional pan-Greens, an overestimation of its victory in the 2004 presidential election, and an underestimation of the degree of electoral co ordination within the pan-Blue camp resulted in electoral defeat for the DPP.