I the People? Self-Interest and Demand for Government Responsiveness
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State: Public
Version: author
License: Not specified
Serval ID
serval:BIB_6C5F0D165441
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
I the People? Self-Interest and Demand for Government Responsiveness
Journal
Comparative Political Studies
ISSN
0010-4140
1552-3829
1552-3829
Publication state
Published
Issued date
05/2017
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
50
Number
6
Pages
794-821
Language
english
Abstract
Whether elected representatives should be responsive to the wishes of the majority of citizens has been an issue often discussed from a normative perspective. This article shifts the focus by looking at the determinants of support for responsiveness among citizens. Its core argument is that attitudes toward responsiveness vary systematically depending on the policy gains an individual can expect from a government that is responsive to the preferences of the majority of citizens. The analysis of data from the European Social Survey and 21 countries confirms these expectations. Individuals whose ideological stances are reflected well by the incumbent government are less favorable to the idea that governments should be responsive to the preferences of the majority, while one's proximity to the ideological location of the median citizen increases the odds of support for majority responsiveness. Our findings are stable across a large variety of European democracies.
Keywords
Sociology and Political Science
Web of science
Funding(s)
Swiss National Science Foundation / 151767
Create date
10/02/2016 16:29
Last modification date
27/02/2023 19:13