Michael Gallagher (born 1951) is a

political scientist Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

. He is

Professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...

Comparative Politics Comparative politics is a field in political science characterized either by the use of the ''comparative method'' or other empirical methods to explore politics both within and between countries. Substantively, this can include questions relatin ...

and head of the Department of

Political Science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

at the

Trinity College Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

Education

Trained as a computer scientist, Gallagher combines his understanding of statistical analysis with his interests in politics. He holds a B.A. from Lancaster, two M.Sc. degrees, one from

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...

and one from

Strathclyde Strathclyde ( in Gaelic, meaning "strath (valley) of the River Clyde") was one of nine former local government regions of Scotland created in 1975 by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 and abolished in 1996 by the Local Government et ...

. He completed his Ph.D. at the

University of Strathclyde The University of Strathclyde ( gd, Oilthigh Shrath Chluaidh) is a public research university located in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1796 as the Andersonian Institute, it is Glasgow's second-oldest university, having received its royal chart ...

Career

Gallagher created the Gallagher index, a least squares index of

proportional representation Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...

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, and serves on the editorial boards of various journals in the discipline, including ''

Electoral Studies ''Electoral Studies'' is an international bi-monthly peer-reviewed academic journal dedicated to the study of elections and voting. It was first established in 1982 by David Butler (Nuffield College, Oxford) and Bo Särlvik (University of Essex) a ...

'', ''

European Journal of Political Research The ''European Journal of Political Research'' (EJPR) is a major journal of European political science sponsored by the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR). It is one of the most highly respected journals in the discipline, and the ...

'', '' Representation'', ''

Party Politics A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...

'' 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 * * * * * * * *

References

External links

Michael Gallagher's TCD Website

Political Science at Trinity College, Dublin

Michael Gallagher's Electoral Systems web site
with 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