Competitive elections are a critical feature of democracy, as they provide the link between the desires of citizens and the policies that are implemented. As such, elections raise a number of important policy questions themselves: How should campaigns be financed? Should incumbents face term limits? How can citizen participation be encouraged? How can minorities be ensured effective representation? After a brief look at (normative) democratic theory to establish benchmarks for policy evaluation, we will use the tools of game theory and program evaluation to answer some of the questions listed above.
