Year: 2017
Type: conference-paper
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Retrospective voting is one of the most often investigated theories of voting behaviour. It postulates that voters punish and reward incumbent parties according to their performance. This approach, however, cannot explain why voters cast a stable opposition vote, or switch between incumbent parties or opposition parties respectively. This study fills this gap by arguing that this traditional view should be complemented with the approach of retrospective voting to work on the level of political parties – irrespective of their incumbency status. Using data of the second Module of the CSES, it provides the first large-scale test of this new perspective on electoral accountability. The results show that satisfaction with the previously endorsed party is an important determinant of the current party choice, and that it is so for voters of all parties alike. These results provide a theoretical foundation for party-switches that could not be explained by the theory so far.
Source: Lirias
Author: Stiers, Dieter
Language: English
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W6989639692