Replication Data for: The Effect of Core Values on Support for Electoral Reform: Evidence from Two Survey Experiments

A central tenet in the electoral systems subfield is that parties seek desiredoutcomes via the strategic adoption of electoral rules. Such partisanself-interest, however, is merely one explanation for reform: a second is that anactor may attempt to maximize her core values, which constitute her perceptionof the "common good." Although the extant literature has demonstratedthe motivational power of core values, their effect on electoral rule choice hasnot been tested. Using a factorial experimental design that manipulates thepartisan- and values-implications of a fictitious reform proposal, I find evidencein favor of core values: not only do they have an effect net of partisanconcerns, but they also attenuate the effect of partisan self-interest when thetwo predispositions countervail. The results provide evidence that partisan self-interestoffers an incomplete picture: actors hold—and pursue through electoralreform—objectives that are not immediately partisan in nature.