Electoral volatility, competition and third-party candidacies in US gubernatorial elections
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6316633 |
|---|---|
| Authors | R E Best (0000-0001-6297-348X, Leiden University, The Netherlands,), Steve B Lem (0000-0002-9390-0483, Kutztown University, Pennsylvania, USA) |
| Year | 2011 |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 611-628 |
| Publication date | 2011-09-01 |
| 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 | 10.1177/1354068810376181 |
| OpenAlex | W2111775851 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 39 |
Third-party participation in plurality elections should be rare, given the low probability of electoral success. In the United States, the entrenched two-party system makes third-party candidacies especially puzzling. We develop a general theory of these candidacies based on the electoral context, focusing on electoral competition and volatility. When electoral competition is either low or high we expect the number of third-party candidates to be high, due to the opportunities to raise attention to policy issues or affect the election outcome. Moderate levels of competition will produce low levels of third-party candidate participation, as there are fewer prospects of drawing votes or attention. Volatility is expected to have a positive effect, since high volatility signals a de-aligned electorate. We evaluate our claims using US gubernatorial elections, 1977—2005. The results support our claims, suggesting that third-party candidacies are shaped by the degree of electoral volatility and competition
Competition (biology · Economics · Financial economics · General election · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Third party · Volatility (finance · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Law · Media Influence and Politics · Political Influence and Corporate Strategies
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| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,67 |
| Citation span | 2023 - 2025 (3) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |