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Dynamics of public opinion and policy response under proportional and plurality elections
[journal article]
Abstract We compare the patterns of adjustment of government policy to changes in public opinion in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. These countries are similar in many ways, except that the United Kingdom has plurality elections and single-party government, while the Netherlands has proportional repr... view more
We compare the patterns of adjustment of government policy to changes in public opinion in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. These countries are similar in many ways, except that the United Kingdom has plurality elections and single-party government, while the Netherlands has proportional representation (PR) and coalition government. This provides the first application of the Macro Polity approach to a country with PR elections. We find that government policy in the Netherlands is highly responsive to public opinion. This cannot be the result of alternation of government, but instead must be the result of some other process, such as coalition bargaining. In the United Kingdom, however, the dynamic of adjustment is far more complex. Alternation of government does not produce responsiveness, but rather seems to get in the way of it. This leads to an over-correction dynamic in which policy can be out of line with public opinion for long periods of time.... view less
Keywords
ISSP; public expenditures; government policy; majority election; election by proportional representation; public opinion; Netherlands; Great Britain; political system; electoral system
Classification
Political Process, Elections, Political Sociology, Political Culture
Free Keywords
International Social Survey Programme: Role of Government I - ISSP 1985 (ZA1490 v1.0.0)
Document language
English
Publication Year
2023
Page/Pages
p. 333-355
Journal
Economics & Politics, 35 (2023) 1
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1111/ecpo.12217
ISSN
1468-0343
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed