Party-voter linkages: a Comparative View of Ideology and European Integration

Abstract

Political representation is one of the primary areas of academic debate, from
both theoretical and empirical perspectives; that is, the conditions necessary
for its existence and how to assess it. This article presents a comparative
analysis of party-voter congruence on two dimensions: ideology and
European integration. Using data from the EES 2009 survey, two indicators,
proximity and centrism are applied to a large sample of European political
parties. In the second part of the article, the effect of partisan characteristics
on party-voter congruence is examined. Results of statistical analyses
demonstrate that right-wing parties and those that are more Euro-optimistic
tend to generate a stronger connection with their electorates. Similarly, party
size, age and membership in certain party families are shown to have
relevance in explaining parties-voter linkages.