Comparative Politics - Week 8 (Voting and Non-Voting) Flashcards
what did Karl Marx say about political preference
individuals’ political interests are determined by their relationship to economic production (workers vs owners of capital/land)
what did Weber say about political preference
individuals’ political interests are determined by their relationship to economic consumption (wealth and power are key factors)
what did Daherndorf say about political preference
there is growing economic fragmentation, and more complex network of economic interests (emergence of a new middle class)
what did Kitschelt say about political preference
preferences are determined by the types of jobs people do
how has economic growth and prosperity caused dealignment
economic security is no longer the primary goal of all voters (embourgeoisement of working class)
how has the expansion of higher education caused dealignment
growing social mobility has changed aspirations and created a higher level of cognitive skills in society
how has the expansion of the public sector caused dealignment
growth to 40-50% of GDP in the public sector - new social groups with new values nad new interests
how has mass media caused dealignment
replacement of party-controlled media and personalisation of politics
what is valence voting
where voters base their choice off the performance of governments, parties and policy-makers
what is valence voting?
where voters base their choice on the performance of governments, parties and policy-makers
what are the usual issues considered in valence voting
unemployment, economy, crime and inflation
what do Lewis-Beck and Stegmaier say about economic voting
the citizen votes for the government if the economy is doing all right; otherwise, the vote is against
what are the three assumptions behind issue voting
- voters have policy positions on those issues that are salient to them
- voters are aware of the parties’ positions (on the salient issues)
- voters compare their own issue positions with those of the parties and vote for the “closest” party
what is issue ownership
parties have a reputation to best hand a given issue
what is an example of issue ownership in the UK
Labour owns NHS and welfare, while the Conservatives own taxes and crime
