Assessing party-voter congruence over time: towards convergence in times of crisis?

European Politics and Society Seminar

Lecture

ACCESS EUROPE postdoc Katjana Gattermann will present a paper on the (lack of) congruence between voter preferences and party positions in the European context. The recent elections of the European Parliament underscore the importance of exploring factors that can explain the convergence or divergence between voters and political parties over time.

One of the most fundamental criteria of the party representation model is that party positions and voter preferences are congruent. In reality however, we sense significant variation in the extent to which voters are represented by parties. This perception has become especially salient in the recent European elections, exacerbated by the current crisis. However, looking at different phases of EU integration over time, opinion congruence between parties and their voters has taken various patterns. While representation on the left-right dimension seems to be increasing, representation on the pro- or anti-EU dimension has decreased over time. The aim of this seminar is to identify factors responsible for this phenomenon. 

About the presenter 

Katjana Gattermann is postdoctoral researcher at ACCESS EUROPE. Her research interests include comparative politics and political communication with a focus on parliaments and their members, political parties, electoral behaviour and public opinion in and across Europe. Katjana was previously postdoctoral researcher at the University of Cologne and holds a PhD in European Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Published by  ACCESS EUROPE