The Effects of Policy Responsiveness

• In Event: Voters, Parties and Responsiveness

Abstract

Much attention has been put into research on understanding and mapping unequal policy responsiveness. However, the consequences of unequal policy responsiveness are much less studied. This paper aims to investigate such effects: Does responsive political systems that provide policies in accordance with citizens' preferences produce good outcomes in terms of, e.g., economic growth and higher satisfaction with democracy? By combining new data on the degree of political responsiveness to public opinion with data on political outcomes, we study this question for over 40 countries over 40 years. The research is based on the world's largest database on the opinion-policy link which covers 4500 policy proposals and which shows that the degree to which public opinion manifests in policy change considerably between countries. The study will investigate two key areas: the subjective assessment of the quality of governance, as measured by citizens' satisfaction with governments and democracy in their country, and the objective indicators of policy, such as economic performance. The study will also examine whether a bias in political decision-making in favor of affluent citizens can explain why democracies in some cases fail to reduce inequality and produce lower levels of satisfaction with democracy. We will be able to determine whether it matters to citizens' satisfaction with democracy if they are well represented on policy issues and whether countries that are responsive to its citizens have better economic development.

Authors

• Mikael Persson, University of Gothenburg

• Anders Sundell, University of Gothenburg