Incumbency, Localness, or Accumulation? A Conjoint Experiment on Multiple-Mandate Holding
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Multiple-mandate holding (MMH), i.e. the simultaneous exercise of at least two directly elected political functions, is a widespread but controversial political practice. Theoretically it can be argued to constitute a valuable personal vote earning attribute (PVEA) among candidates due to its’ combination of the incumbency and local background traits, but previous scholarship has also shown that citizens tend to be quite critical towards it. However, whether and how the practice of MMH affects voter preferences has not been previously empirically explored. The purpose of this study is thus to contribute to this line of research by exploring the potential causal impact of the practice of MMH, making a valuable empirical contribution to scholarships of voter preferences and candidate traits. We examine this question by utilising a conjoint survey experiment carried out in 2023 in Finland, a country that recently (in 2022) established a new regional government tier, thereby enabling the possibility for politicians of being simultaneously elected at three different institutional levels. The results of the study confirm that MMH as a candidate trait has the potential to be disadvantageous for individual candidates during elections.
Source: Representation
Institutions: Mid Sweden University, Åbo Akademi University
Language: English
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4415209891