Live Together, Die Alone? The Disparity of Partners' Electoral Fortunes in Coalition Governments

Abstract

Although it is said that voters find it more difficult to attribute blame and credit for policy-making when a coalition is in office, it is also true that coalitions can manage decision-making in different ways, shaping how the electorate can see the lines of responsibility. We adapt Duch and Stevenson's (2008) model on economic voting under multiparty governments to show to what extent different ways of deciding in each policy jurisdiction affect the signal voters receive about each coalition partner's competence. We then oer empirical evidence suggesting that those coalitions in which it is likely that each partner decides policy individually in their jurisdictions are also more likely to end in a greater electoral disparity between their members, and vice versa.

Keywords: Coalition Politics, Accountability, Economic Vote, Responsibility Attribution