Work

How does political uncertainty affect the optimal degree of policy divergence?

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: We examine how the optimal degree of policy divergence between two policy platforms in an election is affected by two types of aggregate uncertainty: policy-related and candidate-specific. We show that when the candidate-specific uncertainty is sufficiently large, policy convergence becomes optimal. We also show that when these two types of uncertainty co-exist, only purely office-motivated parties result in policy convergence, in other words, any level of policy motivation of parties results in some policy divergence, making policy motivation undesirable when candidate-specific uncertainty is sufficiently large.

Source: Social Choice and Welfare

DOI: 10.1007/s00355-025-01595-w

Authors: R. Emre Aytimur, Aris Boukouras, Richard M. H. Suen

Institution: University of Leicester

Language: English

Topic: Game Theory and Voting Systems

Subfield: Economics and Econometrics

Field: Economics, Econometrics and Finance

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $2,890