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The binary policy model

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  • Krasa, Stefan
  • Polborn, Mattias

Abstract

We introduce a model of electoral competition with office-motivated candidates who are exogenously committed to particular positions on some issues, while they choose positions for the remaining issues. A position is majority-efficient if a candidate cannot make a majority of the electorate better off, given his fixed positions. We characterize existence conditions for majority-efficient positions. The candidates' fixed positions in our framework imply that only some voters are "swing voters," and we analyze how the distribution of swing voters determines whether candidates choose majority-efficient positions. We also analyze plurality and runoff elections with multiple candidates in our framework.

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  • Krasa, Stefan & Polborn, Mattias, 2010. "The binary policy model," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 145(2), pages 661-688, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jetheo:v:145:y:2010:i:2:p:661-688
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    3. Josep Colomer & Humberto Llavador, 2012. "An agenda-setting model of electoral competition," SERIEs: Journal of the Spanish Economic Association, Springer;Spanish Economic Association, vol. 3(1), pages 73-93, March.
    4. Denter, Philipp, 2020. "Campaign contests," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    5. P. Roberti, 2014. "Lobbying in a multidimensional policy space with salient issues," Working Papers wp922, Dipartimento Scienze Economiche, Universita' di Bologna.
    6. Hargreaves Heap, Shaun P. & Manifold, Emma & Matakos, Konstantinos & Xefteris, Dimitrios, 2022. "How does group identification affect redistribution in representative democracies? An Experiment," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 215(C).
    7. Hans Gersbach & Philippe Muller & Oriol Tejada, 2015. "Costs of Change, Political Polarization, and Re-election Hurdles," CER-ETH Economics working paper series 15/222, CER-ETH - Center of Economic Research (CER-ETH) at ETH Zurich.
    8. Konstantinos Matakos & Dimitrios Xefteris, 2017. "When extremes meet: Redistribution in a multiparty model with differentiated parties," Journal of Theoretical Politics, , vol. 29(4), pages 546-577, October.
    9. Gersbach, Hans & Tejada, Oriol & Muller, Philippe, 2016. "The Effects of Higher Re-election Hurdles and Costs of Policy Change on Political Polarization," CEPR Discussion Papers 11375, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    10. George Deltas & Mattias K. Polborn, 2019. "Candidate competition and voter learning in the 2000–2012 US presidential primaries," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 178(1), pages 115-151, January.
    11. Hughes, Niall, 2020. "Strategic Voting in Two-Party Legislative Elections," MPRA Paper 100363, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. Parag, Waknis, 2012. "Political economy of sub-national spending in India," MPRA Paper 36813, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    13. Enriqueta Aragonès & Dimitrios Xefteris, 2022. "Ideological Consistency and Valence," Working Papers 1383, Barcelona School of Economics.
    14. Krasa, Stefan & Polborn, Mattias K., 2012. "Political competition between differentiated candidates," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 76(1), pages 249-271.
    15. Knudson, Mathew, 2020. "Two candidate competition on differentiated policy sets," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 413-434.

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