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Political scientists are quite good at predicting optimal policy positions that - under the given circumstances - allow parties to get maximal payoffs in terms of policy, office or votes. What we do not know is whether parties are actually able to take these positions or whether they are constrained to do so.This book attempts to narrow this gap. The major argument is that parties do not choose policy positions from scratch and that they cannot freely change their policy platforms. Rather, voters lacking perception of changing party platforms and intra-party factors constrain parties when shifting their policy positions. An empirical analysis of party policy shifts in ten Western European democracies shows that these constraints differ across parties and thus affect the parties position-taking differently. Considering this variation is important to derive more precise predictions for parties policy platforms and for our understanding of party behaviour in general.'What contemporary political science needs most at the present time is theory development and testing, particularly against comparative evidence. This well-organised and clearly written work provides both, in generous measure. Focused on the central actors in modern democracy political parties it asks what prevents them changing policies radically in order to attract votes? The answer lies in the existence of rival parties, the reaction of voters: and within their own organisational structures.
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Political scientists are quite good at predicting optimal policy positions that - under the given circumstances - allow parties to get maximal payoffs in terms of policy, office or votes. What we do not know is whether parties are actually able to take these positions or whether they are constrained to do so.This book attempts to narrow this gap. The major argument is that parties do not choose policy positions from scratch and that they cannot freely change their policy platforms. Rather, voters lacking perception of changing party platforms and intra-party factors constrain parties when shifting their policy positions. An empirical analysis of party policy shifts in ten Western European democracies shows that these constraints differ across parties and thus affect the parties position-taking differently. Considering this variation is important to derive more precise predictions for parties policy platforms and for our understanding of party behaviour in general.'What contemporary political science needs most at the present time is theory development and testing, particularly against comparative evidence. This well-organised and clearly written work provides both, in generous measure. Focused on the central actors in modern democracy political parties it asks what prevents them changing policies radically in order to attract votes? The answer lies in the existence of rival parties, the reaction of voters: and within their own organisational structures.
