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Analyzes the 1983 redistribution of the parliamentary constituencies of the British House of Commons to determine the reasons for the discrepancies in constituency population. Factors or variables which may help explain the population disparities of constituencies; Analysis of the overrepresented and underrepresented constituencies; Recommendations to make parliamentary constituencies more equivalent population.

This is an analysis of the effects of economic factors on voting behavior in the United Kingdom. Aggregate- and individual-level data are used. When the results are compared to findings generated by the United States case, some intriguing differences appear. To mention just two examples, unemployment and inflation seem to be much more important in the United Kingdom than in the United States, and changes in real per capita income are positively related to election results in the United States and negatively related in the United Kingdom. More generally, while the aggregate results are strong and the individual-level results weak in the United States, in the United Kingdom the situation is practically reversed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

British political parties are usually capable of dictating the voting behavior of their members in the House of Commons, but there are instances in which the parties choose to grant MPs freedom to vote as they wish. These "free votes" occur on private members' bills and frequently involve extremely emotional, important issues. Using multiple regression analysis, we examine voting on selected free votes since 1966. The results suggest that while partisan forces are potent even on free votes, they are by no means the only forces operating. Personal characteristics of the MPs—such as religion, age, education, and the like-also influence voting decisions. Moreover, at times it is even possible to observe characteristics of the constituencies (religion, region, and marginality) affecting voting decisions. We conclude by discussing what these findings mean for views of decision making in the House of Commons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]