The Electoral Consequences of Parties’ Policy Shifts: Who Reacts, When, and How? Presented by Prof James Adams
Prof Jim Adams, University of California, Davis, visited the University of Exeter in October 2010.
On the afternoon of Thursday 21 October Prof Adams gave a seminar in which he discussed a series of papers that he has written with various co-authors. His presentation was entitled 'The Electoral Consequences of Parties’ Policy Shifts: Who Reacts, When, and How?'. An abstract of the presentation is shown below. Links to the papers that were discussed during the presentation, and the presentation slides are available to download. How do citizens react when parties shift their policy positions? (PDF, 302KB). A recording of the event is also available on the ELECDEM project YouTube channel.
Abstract: When European parties shift their policy positions, do voters notice these shifts, and, if so, do they react by updating their party allegiances, their policy beliefs, or both? Or neither? And, do the answers to these questions vary across different subconstituencies of voters? I discuss my recent research on this topic, which involves pooled analyses of data from several European polities along with case studies of contemporary British and Dutch politics.
On the morning of Friday 22 October, Prof Adams held a feedback session where he reflected on a selection of manuscripts submitted in advance by ELECDEM researchers.
Reading materials in preparation for the sessions:
Is Anybody Listening? (PDF 169KB)
Is Anybody Listening? Evidence that Voters do not Respond to European Parties’ Policy Statements During Elections. Forthcoming in the American Journal of Political Science.
Dutch Depolarization (PDF 155KB)
Which Voting Subconstituencies Reacted to Elite Depolarization in the Netherlands? An Analysis of the Dutch Public’s Policy Beliefs and Partisan Loyalties, 1986-1998. A previous version of this paper was presented at the annual meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago, IL, April 22-25, 2010.
Are Voter Decision Rules Endogenous to Parties’ Policy Strategies? (PDF 197KB)
Are Voter Decision Rules Endogenous to Parties’ Policy Strategies? A Model with Applications to Elite Depolarization in Post-Thatcher Britain.
Moderate Now, Win Votes Later (PDF 241 KB)
Moderate Now, Win Votes Later: The Electoral Consequences of Parties’ Policy Shifts in 25 Postwar Democracies. The Journal of Politics, Vol. 71, No. 2, April 2009, Pp. 678–692.
For further details on Prof Jim Adams.