Performance Politics and the British Voter

Harold D. Clarke (University of Texas, Dallas),David Sanders (University of Essex),Marianne C. Stewart (University of Texas, Dallas),Paul F. Whiteley (University of Essex)

Performance Politics and the British Voter
Format
Paperback
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Country
United Kingdom
Published
23 July 2009
Pages
388
ISBN
9780521697286

Performance Politics and the British Voter

Harold D. Clarke (University of Texas, Dallas),David Sanders (University of Essex),Marianne C. Stewart (University of Texas, Dallas),Paul F. Whiteley (University of Essex)

What matters most to voters when they choose their leaders? This book suggests that performance politics is at the heart of contemporary democracy, with voters forming judgments about how well competing parties and leaders perform on important issues. Given the high stakes and uncertainty involved, voters rely heavily on partisan cues and party leader images as guides to electoral choice. However, the authors argue that the issue agenda of British politics has changed markedly in recent years. A cluster of concerns about crime, immigration and terrorism now mix with perennial economic and public service issues. Since voters and parties often share the same positions on these issues, political competition focuses on who can do the best job. This book shows that a model emphasizing flexible partisan attachments, party leader images and judgments of party competence on key issues can explain electoral choice in contemporary Britain.

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