The New Research Agenda Studying Electoral Integrity

A rapidly-growing research agenda shared by scholars and applied policy analysts is beginning to explore three questions: when do elections meet standards of electoral integrity? When do they fail to do so? And what can be done to mitigate these problems? To address these issues, Part I in this paper outlines the concept of electoral integrity, proposing a comprehensive and broad definition founded upon global norms and international conventions. Part II argues that several sub-fields contribute towards the study of electoral integrity, although commonly fragmented at present, including (i) public sector management; (ii) political culture; (iii) comparative institutions; and (iv) security studies. The emerging research agenda focused on electoral integrity, cutting across these conventional disciplinary boundaries, is characterized by its problem-oriented focus and global comparative framework, as well as by its use of pluralistic methods and analytical techniques. Part III outlines the contribution of papers in this symposium. The conclusion summarizes the key features of this new research agenda studying electoral integrity.