Decisions without Difference? The Role of Issue Divergence in Voters’ Perceptions of Their Party System and Its Implications

• In Event: JSS: Emerging Perspectives on Political Parties

Brief Overview

This paper shows that issue divergence, the degree of disagreement between parties in terms of issue salience, is a central determinant of the decidability of elections. It also shows that issue divergence affects public opinion and behavior.

Author

• Jacob Robert Gunderson, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill