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Several recent studies of voter choice in multiparty elections point to the advantages of multinomial probit (MNP) relative to multinomial/conditional logit (MNL). We compare the MNP & MNL models & argue that the simpler logit is often preferable to the more complex probit for the study of voter choice in multiparty elections. Our argument rests on three areas of comparison between MNP & MNL. First, within the limits of typical data -- a small sample of revealed voter choices among a few candidates or parties -- neither model will clearly appear to have generated the observed data. Second, MNP is susceptible to a number of estimation problems, the most serious of which is that the MNP is often weakly identified in application. Weak identification is difficult to diagnose & may lead to plausible, yet arbitrary or misleading inferences. Finally, the logit model is criticized because it imposes the independence of irrelevant alternatives (IIA) property on voter choice. For most applications, the IIA property is neither relevant nor particularly restrictive. We illustrate our arguments using data from recent US & French presidential elections. 2 Tables, 34 References. Adapted from the source document.

In countries with multiparty political systems, we assume--if the system is going to work--that parties have relatively stable positions on policy, that these positions diverge, and that voters make choices based on policy preferences. Yet much of the research on voter behavior and party competition does not support these assumptions. In Party Competition, James Adams applies the insights of behavioral research to an examination of the policy strategies that political parties (and candidates) employ in seeking election. He argues that vote-seeking parties are motivated to present policies that appeal to voters, whose bias toward these policies is based in part on reasons that have nothing to do with policy. He demonstrates that this strategic logic has profound implications for party competition and responsible party government. Adams's innovative fusion of research methodologies presents solutions to issues of policy stability and voter partisanship. His theory's supported by an in-depth analysis of empirical applications to party competition in Britain, France, and the United States in the postwar years. Party Competition and Responsible Party Government will appeal to readers interested in the study of political parties, voting behavior and elections, as well as to scholars specializing in French, British, and American politics. James Adams is Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of California, Santa Barbara

'This clear and comprehensive textbook will be invaluable for undergraduate and graduate courses on elections and voting behaviour. Complex theoretical and statistical ideas are explained lucidly and effectively - no mean achievement' - Representation 'Voters and Voting fills a yawning gap in the study of elections and voting behaviour. No other book today matches the breadth and depth of coverage provided by Jocelyn Evans. This book is destined to become a staple in university courses on elections, parties and political methodology. It will also be a well-thumbed addition to scholars' personal libraries' - David M Farrell, The University of Manchester This accessible textbook provides a comprehensive introduction and guide to theories of voting and electoral behaviour. The text introduces the concept of voting and traces the historical origins and development of voting theories up to and including present-day techniques and models. Approaches reviewed include the early social and psychological models, through the rational choice, spatial modelling and economic theories, to the more sophisticated contemporary models. By carefully presenting and explaining the major technical and methodological advances made in voting studies, the text serves to provide a complete review of the different approaches and techniques that have characterized this area of study from its origins to the present day. The book includes separate chapters on abstention and electoral competition, and employs a range of empirical examples from a number of countries. It concludes by looking at how voting studies might evolve in the future. Voters and Voting: An Introduction will be essential reading for all students of electoral and political behaviour across the social and political sciences.

Following the publication of the ESMA Final Report and Feedback Statement on the Consultation Regarding the Role of the Proxy Advisory Industry in February 2013, a number of industry members formed a committee under the independent chairmanship of Prof. Dr. Dirk Andreas Zetzsche, LL.M. (Toronto), to develop an industry code of conduct. The "Best Practice Principles for Providers of Shareholder Voting Research & Analysis" were published in April 2014. With this report, the chair aims to make the committee's work and discussions transparent to facilitate the application of the provisions and enhance understanding of the reasoning behind their adoption. The report also aims to enhance transparency and understanding on the functioning of Providers of Shareholder Voting Research & Analysis (to which is commonly referred to as the proxy advisors) and their role in corporate governance and assist in creating a more informed discussion. The report is structured as follows: After an introduction (sub 1.), I describe the composition and work organization of the drafting committee for the Principles (sub 2.), before I explain the Committee's as well as the Chair's position on the certain provisions of the Principles (sub 3.). The report discusses, inter alia, the scope of the Principles, the Committee's general approach, the delineation of responsibility between proxy advisors, institutional investors and issuers that forms the basis of the Principles, the attitude of the industry towards local governance standards, and how Signatories should deal with conflicts of interests. A major section of the report is devoted to the communication between issuers and Providers of Shareholder Voting Research & Analysis (sub 4.). In particular I explain why a mandatory distribution of research report to issuers would put the providers' commitment vis-à-vis their clients (the investors) at risk. I further undertake to outline how the Principles may be enforced (sub 5.) and describe the next steps on the Committee's agenda (sub 6.). Three further documents issued by the Committee are annexed to the report: I. The "Best Practice Principles for Providers of Shareholder Voting Research & Analysis" discussed in the report, II. The consultation document distributed by the Committee to stakeholders in fall 2013, and III. The Feedback Statement on the Consultation.

Studies interested in the effects of electoral systems have to contend with a difficult problem. Ideally, to properly estimate these effects, one would wish to compare elections that are completely identical except for their electoral system. This ideal situation, however, never occurs in real life. To circumvent this limitation, we created electoral simulations that approximate this ideal situation. In the context of a general election, we asked respondents to take part in multiple simulated votes, each of them using different electoral rules. By studying the different choices of voters and different outcomes of these elections, we gain the ability to identify how electoral systems determine voting behavior. This design was used to identify the relative importance of psychological and mechanical effects on the vote as well as voting preferences for female political candidates.

An accessible textbook that provides an overview of the historical origins and development of voting theory, this guide explores theories of voting and electoral behaviour at a level suitable for college students.

The main focus of this brief is to discover how being an immigrant in the United States affects their voting behavior. Through learning more about the process immigrants have to go through to become a U.S. citizen, a better understanding of what drives their voting behavior will be discovered.

This paper focuses on methodological aspects of Voting Advice Application (VAA) research. Self-selection into the treatment and self-selection into the sample need to be controlled for if the aim is to deduce causal effects from VAA use in observational data. This paper outlines omnipresent endogeneity issues, partly imposed through unobserved factors that affect both whether individuals use VAAs and their subsequent electoral behavior. Some research on VAAs has acknowledged the problems associated with selection biases, but practically none have taken steps towards improving these shortcomings. This paper introduces various approaches for handling selection biases and applies them to VAA data from Switzerland. These methodological considerations are of outmost importance for the relevance and validity of VAA research. [Copyright Elsevier Ltd.]

""There is no doubt that this book will become a standard text in courses on voting and elections." Joanna Everitt, co-author of Advocacy Groups in the Canadian Democratic Audit" ""This is an excellent textbook for senior undergraduate and graduate courses in voting and elections, a supplementary text for more general courses in Canadian politics, and an important addition to the scholarly literature in the field. I will be using it in a number of my classes." Keith Archer, co-author of Quasi-Democracy? Parties and Leadership Selection in Alberta" "The recent string of minority governments has reminded Canadians that voting behaviour has serious consequences-on the composition of government as well as on the direction of public policy. Understanding the underlying meaning of election results is a key issue for policy makers and for students and scholars of politics. But can voting behaviour be explained, given that each vote represents the influence of countless impressions, decisions, and attachments?" "Voting Behaviour in Canada reveals the challenges of understanding election results as leading young scholars of political behaviour piece together a comprehensive portrait of the modern Canadian voter. By systematically exploring long-standing attachments, short-term influences, and proximate factors (campaign issues and poll results), the contributors offer a multi-faceted analysis of voting behaviour that incorporates the insights of theories developed to illuminate the influence of certain factors. Theoretically grounded and methodologically advanced, Voting Behaviour in Canada sheds new light on the choices we make as citizens and provides important insights into recent national developments."--Jacket

This book presents a collection of papers illustrating the variety of "experimental" methodologies used to study voting. Experimental methods include laboratory experiments in the tradition of political psychology, laboratory experiments with monetary incentives, in the economic tradition, survey experiments (varying survey, question wording, framing or content), as well as various kinds of field experimentation. Topics include the behavior of voters (in particular turnout, vote choice, and strategic voting), the behavior of parties and candidates, and the comparison of electoral rules.--