Congruence between voters and representatives in preferences for social policies in Spain

Abstract

ABSTRACT In some countries public opinion is consistently highly supportive of redistribution, while policy outcomes do not always produce high levels of redistribution. According to the political congruence literature this might be due to a biased representation of policy preferences, as those of high socio-economic status are expected to be better represented in the political process. To illuminate this conundrum, we analyse congruence in preferences for redistribution, public expenditure and taxation in the case of Spain, by drawing on data from two complementary surveys that collected information from citizens and members of parliament (MPs). We find a high degree of congruence in political preferences between citizens and representatives. Moreover, although the preferences of well-educated groups are better represented in the case of taxation, it cannot be argued that there is a ‘pro-rich’ bias in MPs’ preferences.