Are Political Parties More Responsive to Advocacy Groups Mobilising Core Voters or Swing Voters? Political Responsiveness to Citizens' Protest Movements in Swedish Local Governments. (22nd December 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Taghizadeh, Jonas Larsson
• Is Part Of: Scandinavian political studies. Volume 39:Number 2(2016)
• Page Start: 161
• Page End: 184
• Publication Date: 2015-12-22
• Subjects: Scandinavia -- Politics and government -- Periodicals; 320
• DOI: 10.1111/1467-9477.12061
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0080-6757

Abstract

Abstract : Political scientists often assume that parties listen to some voters more than others. However, this theoretical perspective has rarely been applied to explain political responsiveness to advocacy groups. This article argues that the type of voter mobilised by protest activities plays a role in determining whether advocacy groups are able to influence political decisions. The explanatory value of this approach is demonstrated by a study of the geographic distribution of school closures among Swedish local governments during the 2002–10 period. School issues have been important drivers of contentious politics in Sweden. Two hypotheses are tested. The first hypothesis predicts that protesters in districts with numerous swing voters are more likely to achieve their goals. The second hypothesis predicts that protesters in districts with numerous core voters are more likely to achieve their goals. In line with the swing hypothesis, the main results suggest that protesters are more likely to stop school closures in volatile polling districts.