Campaigning on the Ability to Govern

A Study of Strategic References to Competence Made by Political Parties in Europe

Bibliographic Data

ID7786629
AuthorsWojciech Rafałowski (0000-0001-9427-0674, University of Warsaw, corresponding author)
Year2023
Volume58
Issue2
Pages268-290
Publication date2023-04-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueGovernment and Opposition (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0017-257X • E-ISSN: 1477-7053
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/gov.2021.38
OpenAlexW3203502658
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited39

One of the sources of the incumbent advantage over the challenger in a two-candidate election is the possibility of referring to accomplishments in office. Incumbents exploit this resource in their campaigning rhetoric by putting greater emphasis on competence than challengers do. However, this tendency has not been tested outside two-party systems yet. In multiparty settings, the outgoing government, often formed by a coalition of parties, faces multiple opposition forces. This can change the strategic context of the competition, so the generalizations made in two-party systems may not be adequate. Using the Comparative Campaign Dynamics Dataset, I demonstrate that the tendency to put more emphasis on competence does not apply to government parties in multiparty elections in Europe. However, parties with better positions in the pre-electoral polls are more likely to emphasize traits associated with the ability to govern efficiently during the campaign

Competence (human resources · Economics · Exploit · Management · Opposition (politics · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Rhetoric · Sociology · Computer Science · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Gender Politics and Representation · Law · Political Influence and Corporate Strategies

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