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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Theoretical and Analytical Framework

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Analytically, the present work relies on two foundations, Anthony Downs’ (1957) Proximity model of electoral competition which states that political parties or candidates will seek to position themselves as close as possible to the (preferred) policy positions of voters and Ian Budge’s past election model (1994), according to which parties and candidates use the results of past elections in order to gain information about the electorate landscape. Both models rely on a ‘marketplace’ analogy with demand and supply. Candidates, parties, and politicians supply policies (advertised as policy positions), while the electorate, voters, and constituencies demand policies. Just like in a marketplace, the model assumes that supply and demand interact with each other. Consumers (the voters) react to what is available, and suppliers seek to respond to demand by adjusting their supply (policy positions) to better match those sought by the electorate. Voters prefer to cast their vote for parties or politicians who share the same positions on policy as them, all else being equal (this is qualified in some contexts, e.g., by the incidence of majoritarian electoral rules and ‘strategic’ voting). Political parties seek to reach out and gain the favour of as many voters as possible and will adjust their policy positions to match those of voters to the extent that that does not contradict the basic premises of their ideological foundations.