Selection and sanctioning in European parliamentary elections

Hobolt, Sara ORCID: 0000-0002-9742-9502 and Høyland, Bjørn (2011) Selection and sanctioning in European parliamentary elections. British Journal of Political Science, 41 (03). pp. 477-498. ISSN 0007-1234

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Abstract

Elections are inherently about selecting good candidates for public office and sanctioning incumbents for past performance. Yet, in the low salience context of ‘second-order elections’ to the European Parliament, empirical evidence suggests that voters sanction first-order national incumbents. However, no previous study has examined whether voters also use these elections to select good candidates. This article draws on a unique dataset on the political experience of party representatives in eighty-five national elections to the European Parliament to evaluate the extent to which voters prefer candidates with more political experience. The results show that selection considerations do matter. Parties that choose experienced top candidates are rewarded by voters. This effect is greatest when European elections are held in the middle of the national electoral cycle.

Item Type:	Article
Official URL:	http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJourna...
Additional Information:	© 2011 Cambridge University Press
Divisions:	European Institute
Subjects:	J Political Science > JA Political science (General) J Political Science > JN Political institutions (Europe)
Date Deposited:	24 Feb 2012 17:17
Last Modified:	11 Dec 2024 23:59
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/42037

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