Professor Nigel Roberts of New Zealand to Speak About his Book April 10
Professor Nigel Roberts of Victoria University
of Wellington, New Zealand, will speak in 355 Hamilton Hall on Thursday,
April 10, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. The topic of the discussion
will be his book, A New Electoral Politics
in New Zealand, New Zealand’s journey from its British
heritage via the German electoral system to the Swedish party system.
New Zealand is a country of considerable interest to historians and
political scientists. Fourteen years ago, New Zealand was described
as more British than Britain. However, in late 1993 the country adopted
a form of proportional representation closely modeled on the voting
system used in Germany. To date, three proportional representation
elections have been held in New Zealand, and to the surprise of many
the nation’s party system now resembles neither Britain’s,
nor Germany’s, but Sweden’s. In this illustrated lecture,
Nigel Roberts examines and explains the recent changes in New Zealand
and the consequences of the changes in this small but significant
South Pacific democracy. Nigel Roberts is a professor, and former
head, of political science at the Victoria University of Wellington
in New Zealand.
Professor Roberts has an international reputation as a lively lecturer and his long-standing role as an election-night commentator for the country’s leading television channel.
361 Hamilton Hall • CB# 3265 • UNC at Chapel Hill • Chapel Hill, NC • 27599-3265 •
Phone: (919) 962-3041 • Fax: (919) 962-0432