Performance Politics and the British Voter

Shows that judgment of party competence is at the heart of electoral choice in contemporary Britain.

Harold D. Clarke (Author), David Sanders (Author), Marianne C. Stewart (Author), Paul F. Whiteley (Author)

9780521697286, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 23 July 2009

388 pages, 53 tables
22.8 x 15.3 x 1.8 cm, 0.62 kg

'Clarke, Sanders, Stewart, and Whiteley have once again raised the standard for the scientific study of national elections. Performance Politics and the British Voter provides a comprehensive examination of the specifics of the 2005 British parliamentary elections, as well as the broader picture of how that election fits into modern British politics. The authors develop scientific tests that pit rival theories of political behavior against each other, resulting in a knockout win for the valence theory of politics. This allows them to make strong inferences that travel well beyond Britain and 2005. Anyone who is serious about understanding how voters make up their minds needs to read this book.' Guy D. Whitten, Texas A&M University and co-author of The Fundamentals of Political Science Research (Cambridge

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.

1. Performance politics and the British voter
2. The theory of valence politics
3. Valence politics and the long campaign
4. Tony's war
5. Electoral choices
6. The short campaign
7. Voting and political participation
8. Performance, people and the political system
9. Performance politics reconsidered
Appendix A: vote in 2005 by socio-demographic characteristics
Appendix B: turnout by socio-demographic characteristics
Appendix C: dynamics of party identification.

Subject Areas: Central government policies [JPQB], Central government [JPQ], Comparative politics [JPB], Political science & theory [JPA], Politics & government [JP]