Performance Politics and the British Voter

Harold D. Clarke is Ashbel Smith Professor in the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas. David Sanders is Professor of Government at the University of Essex. Marianne C. Stewart is Professor of Political Science in the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas. Paul F. Whiteley is Professor of Government at the University of Essex.

• 1. Performance politics and the British voter; 2. The theory of valence politics; 3. Valence politics and the long campaign; 4. Tony's war; 5. Electoral choices; 6. The short campaign; 7. Voting and political participation; 8. Performance, people and the political system; 9. Performance politics reconsidered; Appendix A: vote in 2005 by socio-demographic characteristics; Appendix B: turnout by socio-demographic characteristics; Appendix C: dynamics of party identification.

'Choice based models of political behaviour take centre stage in this book where the analysis of the 2005 election is embedded into a rich discussion of political attitudes and preferences of the British public. The authors develop, test and demonstrate how 'valence politics' theory significantly contributes to explaining turnout, party choice and civic involvement in the UK and abroad. The reader will enjoy a masterly blend of analytical theorising and rigorous empirical testing which shows how advanced modelling sheds light on controversial issues. A rewarding read for scholars of UK and comparative political behaviour.' Paolo Bellucci, Italian National Election Study, University of Siena