The Contexts of Electoral Accountability: Electoral Integrity Performance Voting in 23 Democracies

Andrea Fumarola

doi:10.1017/gov.2018.13

Abstract

AbstractElectoral accountability is typically identified with retrospective economic voting even though it is widely recognized that explaining electors’ assignment of responsibility also implies considering issues other than the economy. Recently, scholars have also stressed the role of election quality in contributing to democratic legitimacy of elected authorities. In this perspective, electoral integrity as a valence issue would influence voters’ behaviour, structuring attitudes about accountability in substantial ways. This effect would also be moderated by individual- and country-level factors. I test these assumptions in 23 countries worldwide using a multilevel analysis of data from the sixth wave of the World Values Survey. Results indicate that the strength of the link between perceptions of electoral integrity and vote for the incumbent seems to be affected by individual characteristics such as partisanship, while it is also moderated by specific contextual characteristics such as government clarity of responsibility and pluralism of the media.

Highlights

Electoral accountability is typically identified with retrospective economic voting even though it is widely recognized that explaining electors’ assignment of responsibility implies considering issues other than the economy
In Model 1 I include our key independent variable to test the effect of perceptions of electoral integrity on voting behaviour
Following a recent approach focused on the non-economic determinants of electoral accountability (Clark 2009; Ecker et al 2016; Singer 2011; Xezonakis et al 2016), this article aimed to understand the role of electoral integrity perceptions in shaping incumbent vote intention and how this link could be moderated by contextual characteristics

Summary

Introduction

Electoral accountability is typically identified with retrospective economic voting even though it is widely recognized that explaining electors’ assignment of responsibility implies considering issues other than the economy. Conducted elections might imply severe consequences for the quality and legitimacy of the political system (Norris 2014), representing – especially in new democracies such as those in Latin America or Central and Eastern Europe – a policy dimension on which citizens may evaluate government performance through their vote choices (Bratton and Chang 2006; Bunce and Wolchik 2011) In this perspective, electoral integrity assumes the characteristics of a valence issue, meaning any condition able to ‘coagulate’ large majorities of voters about desired policy outcomes (Stokes 1963). Non-partisan voters are more likely to vote according to such perceptions, while these dynamics are facilitated in countries where the characteristics of the government make the assignment of responsibility easier and where the media efficiently fulfil their function as watchdog of government activity

Objectives

Results

Conclusion