ECONOMIC VOTING BEHAVIOR AND THE POLITICAL RIGHT-WING (EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC)

• Authors: Domonkoš Štefan , Tomáš Domonkoš
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

This paper evaluates the differences in the degree to which the preferences of the Slovak right-wing and left-wing parties are affected by the development of consumer prices and unemployment. Using the linear regression approach it provides evidence in which Slovak left-wing voters are resistant to economic voting, which is demonstrated by the fact that changes in the preferences of the Slovak left-wing government during 2006 – 2008 did not react to changes in the CPI and the unemployment rate. By contrast, the Slovak right-wing is held accountable by its voters both for rising prices and unemployment. Thus, our research unveils a new, unexpected difference between left- and right-wing voters. Furthermore, it is argued that, under constantly decreasing monetary and fiscal sovereignty in EU member states, political parties that have voters highly responsive to economic conditions are in a disadvantage as their preferences are dependent on factors they can influence less than in the past.

Keywords

EN

ECONOMIC VOTING; POLITICAL VOTING; VOTE; REGRESSION ANALYSIS; PARTY; SLOVAKIA; PRICES; UNEMPLOYMENT

• Publisher: Institute of Slovak and World Economics and Institute for Forecasting, Slovak Academy of Sciences
• Journal: Ekonomický časopis (Journal of Economics)
• Year: 2011
• Volume: 59
• Issue: 9
• Pages: 905 – 917

Contributors

author

Domonkoš Štefan

• University of Mannheim – Mannheim Centre for European Social Research (MZES), A5, 6, D-68159 Mannheim, Germany

author

Tomáš Domonkoš