Michael Gallagher (born 1951) is a
political scientist. He is
Professor of
Comparative Politics and head of the Department of
Political Science at the
Trinity College Dublin.
Education
Trained as a computer scientist, Gallagher combines his understanding of
statistical analysis
Statistical inference is the process of using data analysis to infer properties of an underlying distribution of probability.Upton, G., Cook, I. (2008) ''Oxford Dictionary of Statistics'', OUP. . Inferential statistical analysis infers propertie ...
with his interests in politics. He holds a B.A. from
Lancaster, two M.Sc. degrees, one from
Essex and one from
Strathclyde. He completed his Ph.D. at the
University of Strathclyde.
Career
Gallagher created the
Gallagher index, a
least squares
The method of least squares is a standard approach in regression analysis to approximate the solution of overdetermined systems (sets of equations in which there are more equations than unknowns) by minimizing the sum of the squares of the res ...
index of
proportional representation that measures an electoral system’s disproportionality between votes received and seats allotted in a legislature. His research interests include
Irish politics,
comparative political institutions, and political parties.
Gallagher is the author, co-author or editor of eighteen books, including ''The Politics of Electoral Systems'' (2005, co-edited with Paul Mitchell), ''Politics in the Republic of Ireland'' (4th ed., 2005, co-edited with John Coakley), and ''Representative Government in Modern Europe'' (4th ed., 2006, co-edited with Michael Laver and
Peter Mair), which are standard textbooks in their fields. He has also written around 70 journal articles and book chapters (his most cited independent work is "Proportionality, Disproportionality and Electoral Systems" in ''Electoral Studies''
991
Year 991 (Roman numerals, CMXCI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
* March 1: In Rouen, Pope John XV ratifies the first Peace and Truce of God, Truce of God, between ...
, and serves on the editorial boards of various journals in the discipline, including ''
Electoral Studies'', ''
European Journal of Political Research'', ''
Representation
Representation may refer to:
Law and politics
*Representation (politics), political activities undertaken by elected representatives, as well as other theories
** Representative democracy, type of democracy in which elected officials represent a ...
'', ''
Party Politics'' and ''
Irish Political Studies''. Gallagher was president of the Political Studies Association of Ireland, from 1994 to 1996.
Works
* ''How Ireland Voted 2020: The End of an Era'' (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021)
*''How Ireland Voted 2016: the election that nobody won'' (Basingstoke, 2016)
* ''How Ireland Voted 2011: the full story of Ireland's earthquake election'' (Basingstoke, 2011)
*''How Ireland Voted 2007'' (Palgrave, 2008)
*''How Ireland Voted 2002'' (Palgrave, 2003)
* ''Representative Government in Modern Europe'', 5th ed (Maidenhead, 2011)
* ''Politics in the Republic of Ireland'', 5th ed (London, 2010)
* ''Irish Elections 1948–77: results and analysis'' (Routledge and PSAI Press, 2009)
* ''The Politics of Electoral Systems'', paperback edition (Oxford, 2008)
* ''How Ireland Voted 2007'' (Basingstoke, 2008); including chapter on betting and the election
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References
External links
Michael Gallagher's TCD Website
Political Science at Trinity College, Dublin
Michael Gallagher's Electoral Systems web sitewith a variety of datasets and some tools for calculating disproportionality.
Cover art, for a selection of Michael Gallagher's books
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gallagher, Michael
1951 births
Living people
Irish political scientists