Election Campaigns, Party Communication and Coalition Governments

• In Event: Cross-national Perspectives on Party Press Releases

Abstract

Do parties adjust their election campaigns to potential coalition partners? While one of the advantages that scholars associate with multiparty systems is greater ideological choice between different parties, it is unclear how the requirement to govern in coalitions after the election already affects party competition during election campaigns. We posit that political parties already look ahead during the electoral race by adjusting their campaign to their preferred coalition partners. More specifically, we expect that parties adjust their political communication to potential coalition partners as elections approach, but that the effect varies with the campaign context. Our theoretical argument is tested based on a novel and comprehensive empirical analysis of more than 50,000 press releases published by political parties in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands between 2010 and 2018. Our findings have important implications for our understanding of party competition, coalition governments and political representation.

Authors

• Heike Klüver, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

• Anthea Jeanne Alberto