Whiteley, P and Clarke, HD and Sanders, D and Stewart, MC (2015) The Economic and Electoral Consequences of Austerity Policies in Britain. Parliamentary Affairs, 68 (1). pp. 4-24. DOI https://doi.org/10.1093/pa/gsu015
Whiteley, P and Clarke, HD and Sanders, D and Stewart, MC (2015) The Economic and Electoral Consequences of Austerity Policies in Britain. Parliamentary Affairs, 68 (1). pp. 4-24. DOI https://doi.org/10.1093/pa/gsu015
Whiteley, P and Clarke, HD and Sanders, D and Stewart, MC (2015) The Economic and Electoral Consequences of Austerity Policies in Britain. Parliamentary Affairs, 68 (1). pp. 4-24. DOI https://doi.org/10.1093/pa/gsu015
Abstract
This article examines the relationship between electoral support and the economy over the period 2004-2013, paying particular attention to the impact of the economic strategy pursued by the Coalition government in Britain since the 2010 general election. This involves modelling the relationship between voting intentions, perceptions of economic performance and a variety of other variables using survey data collected from 2004. The evidence shows that when Labour was in office, support for the party was strongly influenced by the state of the economy, as was support for the opposition parties. However, since the Coalition came to power, the relationship between the economy and political support has changed, with neither the Conservatives nor the Liberal Democrats gaining from a fairly rapid growth in economic optimism which has taken place since early 2013. The article explains this change in terms of a growing perception among the public that none of the major parties can effectively manage Britain's economic problems. Optimism about the national economy has not significantly percolated down to the level of the individual voter. So individuals may be more optimistic about the future of the national economy but they are still being badly affected by the recession.
Item Type: | Article |
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Additional Information: | Source info: EPSA 2013 Annual General Conference Paper 138 |
Uncontrolled Keywords: | Austerity Politics; Electoral Outcomes; Vector Error Correction Models; Multi-Level Models |
Subjects: | J Political Science > JA Political science (General) |
Divisions: | Faculty of Social Sciences Faculty of Social Sciences > Government, Department of |
SWORD Depositor: | Unnamed user with email elements@essex.ac.uk |
Depositing User: | Unnamed user with email elements@essex.ac.uk |
Date Deposited: | 15 Dec 2014 10:27 |
Last Modified: | 16 May 2024 17:29 |
URI: | http://repository.essex.ac.uk/id/eprint/12142 |