Suchergebnisse

Examines German voter orientations toward chancellor candidates, drawing on survey data gathered on elections since 1961 in a discussion of the nonpersonalization of candidates. Considered first is whether assessments of candidates determine individual votes, focusing on the impact of candidate orientations on the voting behavior of those lacking any long-term party identification. Conditions fostering candidate-centered voting on the part of weak identifiers as well as shifts in supply- & demand-side factors are addressed. Next, a short overview of voter preference development since 1969 is provided, &, following, an approach employed by Wolfgang Jagodzinski & Stefan Kuhnel (1990), the affect of candidate evaluations on electoral choice is assessed. Attention turns to various elements of candidate images & which ones determine a good leader, highlighting survey data from the 1998 elections between Helmut Kohl & Gerhard Schroder. It is concluded that candidate personalities & personal characteristics do not figure too heavily in German voter decisions, as they are mediated by situational factors, eg, strength & direction of partisan affiliations, presence or absence of contentious political issues, & voter evaluations of candidates not running for chancellor. The potential growth of personalization & its utility in describing trends in Germany are contemplated in closing. 4 Tables, 4 Figures, 1 Appendix. J. Zendejas

"Left-Right Orientations and Voting Behavior" published on by Oxford University Press.

Compares electoral volatility in Greece, Italy, Portugal, & Spain to older democracies in order to establish cross-national & temporal variations. Data were obtained from the Giacomo Sani & Julian Santamaria's Four Nation Study (mid-1980s) & various electoral & public opinion surveys. A multivariate analysis of the social-structural anchors of party preferences includes two additional factors: the proximity of respondents to parties of the Left-Right continuum; & assessments of party leaders. Although religion & social class were found to be significant determinants of the vote, they are weakening in importance as the proximity of respondents to parties on the Left-Right scale are increasing. Likewise, party leaders play a significant role in votes cast for catch-all parties but the impact on the quality of democracy is unclear. It is argued that differing patterns among the four party systems are due to complex interactions among social-structural factors; partisan traditions; elite electoral mobilization strategies; & various external factors. The collapse & reconfiguration of the Italian party system in the 1990s is examined to support this evaluation of the "anchors of partisanship.". 20 Tables. J. Lindroth