Voter Attitudes and Public Spending: Is There a Relationship?*

In: European journal of political research: official journal of the European Consortium for Political Research, Band 10, Heft 1, S. 35-52

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe median voter model of how public expenditures are determined is discussed, as are alternative models, which soft‐pedal the role of the electorate and elections in decision‐making on public spending. The median voter proposition is tested and rejected empirically. The empirical relationship between voter attitudes towards public spending and actual spending is then related to the alternative models of how public expenditures are decided upon. The empirical analysis shows inconsistencies between item‐by‐item spending preferences and aggregate spending preferences. Further, political activists have a higher propensity to spend than the average voter.