hal-05554361 Effects of council size under a majority bonus : Evidence from French municipalities

This study examines the impact of council size on local representation and governance using data from over 7000 French municipalities, where proportional voting with a majority bonus applies. We exploit the discontinuities created by population thresholds defining the number of seats. Our findings show that assembly size does not significantly affect the number of parties running or winning seats, voter turnout, or public spending. However, larger assemblies affect the distribution of seats, reducing disproportionality and increasing party fragmentation. We demonstrate that these effects are driven by the majority bonus in the electoral system.