Candidate Selection: The Choice Before the Choice

Abstract

The article provides an overview of intra-party candidate selection methods. It explains the significance of candidate selection and presents two main elements that distinguish between candidate selection methods: the inclusiveness of the selectorate and the level of their centralization. After examining the different methods used in several established and new democracies, it outlines their political consequences and suggests a way to design an optimally balanced method. Although methods of candidate selection have received surprisingly little study by political scientists, they merit the attention of students of democracy everywhere.