Voting for locals: Voters’ information processing strategies in open-list PR systems

Jankowski, Michael

doi:10.1016/j.electstud.2016.06.005

Cited by 65 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Unsurprisingly, in order to reduce information and decision-making costs, voters resort to cues (e.g. Shugart et al 2005;Lutz 2010;Marcinkiewicz 2014;Blom-Hansen et al 2016;Jankowski 2016). Ballot position is readily available and, if lists are pre-ranked by parties, carries information regarding the preferences of the candidate selectorate within the parties.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Additionally, we explicitly include covariates X cj for some district-varying observable candidate attributes, particularly whether the candidate resides in a given district, or whether she resides in a neighboring district (compare Górecki and Marsh 2012;Jankowski 2016). Given our assumption of quasi-random variation in list rank, we would not expect these variables to affect δ, however (which they indeed do not, as shown below).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Cue-Taking, Satisficing, or Both? Quasi-experimental Evidence for Ballot Position Effects

Däubler

Rudolph

2018

Polit Behav

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Ballot position effects have been documented across a variety of political and electoral systems. In general, knowledge of the underlying mechanisms is limited. There is also little research on such effects in preferential-list PR systems, in which parties typically present ranked lists and thus signaling is important. This study addresses both gaps. Theoretically, we formalize four models of voter decision-making: pure appeal-based utility maximization, implying no position effects; rank-taking, where voters take cues from ballot position per se; satisficing, where choice is a function of appeal, but voters consider the options in the order of their appearance; and a hybrid "satisficing-with-rank-taking" variant. From these, we derive differential observable implications. Empirically, we exploit a quasi-experiment, created by the mixed-member electoral system that is used in the state of Bavaria, Germany. Particular electoral rules induce variation in both the observed rank and the set of competitors, and allow for estimating effects at all ranks. We find clear evidence for substantial position effects, which are strongest near the top, but discernible even for the 15th list position. In addition, a candidate's vote increases when the average appeal of higher-placed (but not that of lower-placed) competitors is lower. Overall, the evidence is most compatible with the hybrid satisficing-with rank-taking model. Ballot position thus affects both judgment and choice of candidates.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Cue-Taking, Satisficing, or Both? Quasi-experimental Evidence for Ballot Position Effects

Däubler

Rudolph

2018

Polit Behav

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“…The predominant theory is that local representatives are better equipped to represent the interests of the constituency because they are more knowledgeable about local needs (Tavits, 2010;Shugart et al, 2005). In particular, political science has examined the effect of localness on electoral success and how this effect varies as a function of district magnitude (Shugart et al, 2005), following the principle that being perceived as local candidate is an advantage and a meaningful signal for voters (Jankowski, 2016). This is because local candidates will be able to break party discipline as they rely less in their party for future career and because local ties can help make the elected official accountable to the constituency (Tavits, 2010;Campbell and Cowley, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Who Cares About Local Candidates? Finding Voters That Use Candidate Localness As A Cue For Their Vote Choices

Collignon-Delmar¹,

Sajuria²

2018

Preprint

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The literature on candidate selection has found that voters favour local candidates, as they are thought to be more apt to represent their constituents. An important caveat is that it requires for a voter to have knowledge of the candidates’ characteristics, and to value localism. Previous research concentrates on candidate characteristics, leaving unanswered the question of who considers localism to be important when making their vote choices. This research fills the gap by showing that not all voters care in the same degree and magnitude about localism. We test this argument analysing data from the British Election Survey 2015 using multilevel models. Results show that voters who feel stronger about their distinctive regional identities care significantly more about localism. Additionally, this effect is different when the party system includes a party that explicitly channels these feelings, suggesting that the advantage of local candidates is dependent on the context of party competition.

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“…Recent research about vote choice points out the importance of the location of politicians and how it is a factor in electoral success (GORECKI and MARSH, 2012;JANKOWSKI, 2016). The birthplace of candidates and their local experience are shortcuts (see MARSH, 1987) that endow voters with basic information for deciding their votes.…”

Section: Which Institutional Incentives?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The literature usually uses surveys in which politicians certify the geographical location to which they 'belong' or represent (which neighborhood, city, or region they come from or represent) (cf. GÓRECKI and MARSH, 2012) or the candidate declares her 'city of reference' (JANKOWSKI, 2016). Here, we used candidates' local political history to determine their locality (candidates who ran for mayor or city council) and their place of affiliation.…”

Section: Preparing the Terrain: Conditioning Factors For The Regionalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preparing the Terrain: Conditioning Factors for the Regionalization of the Vote for Federal Deputy in São Paulo

Silva

Silotto

2018

Bras. Political Sci. Rev.

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Voting for locals: Voters’ information processing strategies in open-list PR systems

Cited by 65 publications

References 29 publications

Cue-Taking, Satisficing, or Both? Quasi-experimental Evidence for Ballot Position Effects

Cue-Taking, Satisficing, or Both? Quasi-experimental Evidence for Ballot Position Effects

Who Cares About Local Candidates? Finding Voters That Use Candidate Localness As A Cue For Their Vote Choices

Preparing the Terrain: Conditioning Factors for the Regionalization of the Vote for Federal Deputy in São Paulo

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