Explaining MPs’ perceptions of voters’ positions in a party-mediated representation system
Evidence from the Portuguese case
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6316248 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ana Maria Belchior (0000-0003-3387-2529, Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Portugal, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2014 |
| Volume | 20 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 403-415 |
| Publication date | 2014-05-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Party Politics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1354-0688 • E-ISSN: 1460-3683 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/1354068811436046 |
| OpenAlex | W2020121467 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 31 |
| References cited | 23 |
The article addresses the crucial but still relatively understudied issue of political perceptions, specifically the perceptions of members of parliament (MPs) regarding the positioning of voters on the left–right spectrum, and the accuracy thereof. It focuses on the Portuguese case, which differs from others studied to date in terms of the links between MPs and voters (in contrast to prior research, Portuguese voters do not vote for an MP candidate but for a party list; the representation process is mediated by political parties). The article begins by characterizing Portuguese MP perceptions of voters’ left–right positions, and then explores the reasons for MPs’ perceptual accuracy. The findings show that MP perceptions are shaped by wishful thinking, reiterating previous research, and that party integration is an important new factor explaining perceptual accuracy
Epistemology · Parliament · Perception · Political science · Politics · Portuguese · Representation (politics · Wishful thinking · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Law · Philosophy · Psychology · Social and Cultural Dynamics · Social Media and Politics · Social Psychology
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| Unique citing works | 31 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2,58 |
| Citation span | 2014 - 2026 (13) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 31 |