Contents -- l Introduction: democracy, parliaments and electoral systems -- 2 Enhancing democracy: a Caribbean perspective -- 3 Transparency, integrity and funding of the political process -- 4 The Spanish transition: dictatorship to democracy -- 5 Strengthening parliament's role -- 6 Do unicameral or bicameral parliaments function more effectively? -- 7 Information technology and parliamentary effectiveness -- 8 Alternative electoral systems -- 9 Mandatory voting: the pros and cons -- 10 Gender equality and electoral systems -- 11 Holding elections: the mechanics -- 12 External influences on electoral processes -- i) Exit polls, time zones and length of elections -- ii) Opinion polling and the media -- 13 Ethnically divided polities: the case of Sri Lanka -- 14 The United States Presidential election: year 2000 -- 15 Disputed election results: various African experiences -- 16 Evolving electoral systems: the experience of Poland -- 17 The New Zealand experience of changing electoral systems -- Afterword -- Appendices: A List of participants at the CPA/ Wilton Park conference -- B Reference material.