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Relative Extremism and Relative Moderation

Strategic Party Positioning in Democratic Systems

Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, B.C., Canada, warwick{at}sfu.ca

This article investigates the ways in which parties stake out left—right positions that deviate from the mean positions of their supporters. Previous research has shown that parties tend to adopt positions that are more extreme than those of their supporters, but there are at least two arguments that also imply the presence of relative moderation—a tendency for moderate parties to be more moderate than their supporters. Using surveys covering 34 countries compiled by the Comparative Study of Electoral Systems, this investigation shows that parties in coalitional systems display both phenomena.

Key Words: political representation • party behavior • relative extremism • relative moderation • bilateralism

This version was published on June 1, 2009

Political Research Quarterly, Vol. 62, No. 2, 276-288 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/1065912908320663


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