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The Politics of Place

Module description

Most voting behaviour models argue that who we are and how we think are the key determinants of vote choice; neglecting to consider that where we are matters. This module considers how the places we reside in and the people we live amongst and interact with there can influence our vote choices and demonstrates that incorporating geography into these models is essential to building a complete understanding of voting patterns. You will explore theories of why place matters in politics, examine the empirical evidence on this, and learn to search databases to identify the characteristics of places and how they vote.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module aims to provide you with a detailed understanding of how and why place matters in politics, by encouraging you to interrogate the theory and most up to date evidence around the role of place and local context in shaping voting behaviours. It also aims to equip you with research and research communication skills which are highly desirable to employers, including the ability to search online databases for relevant evidence and present this as part of a professional written research report, and the ability to explain complex theories and concepts to non-specialist audiences in an accessible and engaging manner. Taking this module, and participating fully in all module activities, will equip you with a comprehensive knowledge of the ways in which we might expect different kinds of places to vote, and will give you the opportunity to explore how place-based features have shaped the politics of an English or Welsh constituency of your choice.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Demonstrate an understanding of the limitations of voting behaviour models which do not consider place, and show knowledge of how and why place and local context matters in shaping vote choice
• 2. Show expertise on the place-based features that may have shaped the politics of a specific English or Welsh constituency

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 3. Construct rigorous arguments which show an understanding of, and critical engagement with, key theories and empirical studies in political science
• 4. Use your knowledge of the political science literature on how place and local context influences voting behaviour to formulate testable hypotheses, and examine these in light of the available evidence

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 5. Explain complex theories and concepts to non-specialist audiences, in an accessible and engaging manner
• 6. Use online databases to conduct independent research, and be able to present this evidence effectively in a professional written research report

Syllabus plan

• Models of Voting and the Importance of Bringing Geography In
• Geography as a Driver of Place-based Voting (1): Nation-based Divides
• Geography as a Driver of Place-based Voting (2): The North/South Divide in British Politics
• Local Economic Conditions as Drivers of Place-based Voting
• Demographics as Drivers of Place-based Voting (1): How ‘Left Behind-ness’ Has Altered Britain’s Electoral Map
• Demographics as Drivers of Place-based Voting (2): Cosmopolitan Places and Why People Living in Cities Tend to Think and Vote Differently
• Does Place Really Cause Vote Choice? Self-Selection Effects versus Contextual Effects
• Demographics as Drivers of Place-based Voting (3): Interaction Effects
• Why Some Places Do Not Vote as We Expect (1): The Importance of Understanding Local Historical Context
• Why Some Places Do Not Vote as We Expect (2): Place-based Activism, Targeting and Campaign Spending
• The Future of Britain’s Electoral Geography

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• Furlong, Jamie and Jennings, Will. (2024) The Changing Electoral Map of England and Wales. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Johnston, Ron and Pattie, Charles. (2006) Putting Voters in Their Place: Geography and Elections in Great Britain. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• Denham, John and Mckay, Lawrence. (2023) The Politics of England: National Identities and Political Englishness. The Political Quarterly, 94 (4), 613-624. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-923X.13313
• Foos, Florian and Bischof, Daniel. (2022) Tabloid Media Campaigns and Public Opinion: Quasi-Experimental Evidence on Euroscepticism in England. American Political Science Review, 116 (1), 19-37. https://doi.org/10.1017/S000305542100085X
• Furlong, Jamie. (2019) The changing electoral geography of England and Wales: Varieties of “left-behindedness”. Political Geography, 75 (102061). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polgeo.2019.102061
• Gallego, Aina et al. (2016) Places and Preferences: A Longitudinal Analysis of Self-Selection and Contextual Effects. British Journal of Political Science, 46 (3), 529-550. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007123414000337
• Green, Jane et al. (2024) Connecting Local Economic Decline to the Politics of Geographic Discontent: The Missing Link of Perceptions. Political Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11109-024-09951-9
• Griffiths, James et al. (2023) Diverging electoral fortunes in Scotland and Wales: national identities, national interests, and voting behavior. Regional & Federal Studies, 33 (4), 487–510. https://doi.org/10.1080/13597566.2023.2227952
• Harteveld, Eelco and van der Brug, Wouter. (2024) Keeping Up with the Joneses? Neighbourhood Effects on the Vote. Political Studies, 72 (4), 1555-1571. https://doi.org/10.1177/00323217231204849
• Jeffery, D. (2024) The impact of local identities on voting behaviour: a Scouse case study. British Politics, 19, 355-389. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41293-023-00242-1
• Kanagasooriam, James and Simon, Elizabeth. (2021) Red Wall: The Definitive Description. Political Insight, 12 (3), 8-11. https://doi.org/10.1177/20419058211045127
• Kriesi, Hanspeter et al. (2006) Globalization and the transformation of the national political space: Six European countries compared. European Journal of Political Research, 45 (6), 921-956. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6765.2006.00644.x
• Lin, Jennifer and Trujillo, Kristin L. (2024) Are rural attitudes just Republican? Political Science Research and Methods, 12 (3), 657-684. https://doi.org/10.1017/psrm.2023.48
• Maxwell, Rahsaan. (2019) Cosmopolitan Immigration Attitudes in Large European Cities: Contextual or Compositional Effects? American Political Science Review, 113 (2), 456-474. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055418000898
• Mummolo, Jonathan and Nall, Clayton. (2017) Why Partisans Do Not Sort: The Constraints on Political Segregation. The Journal of Politics, 79 (1), 45-59. https://doi.org/10.1086/687569
• Rodríguez-Pose, Andrés (2018) The revenge of the places that don’t matter (and what to do about it). Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, 11 (1), 189-209. https://doi.org/10.1093/cjres/rsx024
• Tam Cho, Wendy K, Gimpel, James G, and Hui, Iris S. (2013) Voter Migration and the Geographic Sorting of the American Electorate. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 103 (4), 856-870. https://www.jstor.org/stable/23485675
• Zollinger, Delia. (2024) Place-based identities and cleavage formation in the knowledge society. Electoral Studies, 88 (102768). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electstud.2024.102768

• ELE – Faculty to provide hyperlink to appropriate pages
• Electoral Calculus Seat Explorer Tool - https://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/newseatlookup.html
• House of Commons Library Elections Data - https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/tag/elections-data/
• House of Commons Library Interactive ‘How do constituencies with different demographics vote?’ Explorer Tool - https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/census-data-how-do-constituencies-with-different-demographics-vote/
• Nomis - https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/

Key words search

Vote choice, voting behaviour, British politics, place, geography, demographics, electoral map, context, interaction