Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
7464356 Electoral Studies 2014 9 Pages PDF
Abstract
We examine the use of spatial models in Voting Advice Applications. A successful branch of VAAs uses multidimensional models of the political space to inform users of their policy match with political parties. Creators of these VAAs offer only a very generalized justification for the choice of their underlying spatial model. We examine whether these spatial representations offer a valid depiction of policy differences between parties. We compare the spatial models from the available national 'electoral compasses', which include established democracies as well as semi-authoritarian and transitional systems. We find that the two-dimensional 'one-size fits all' model that is used in all of these countries fails to accommodate significant variation between party systems.
Related Topics
Social Sciences and Humanities Social Sciences Geography, Planning and Development
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