Party–voter linkages derived from the calculus of voting model: Electoral mobilization in Ecuador

Abstract

This article derives a theory of party–voter linkages. It uses the decision theoretic calculus of voting model to theorize about political party strategies to mobilize voters under democratic competition. I show that parties will devise categorically distinct linkage strategies to operate upon different terms in the calculus of voting model. In particular, the theory implies four strategies: programmatic, clientelist, symbolic, and vote-buying. I illustrate their empirical relevance with case narratives of four parties in Ecuador.