TY - JOUR
T1 - The Race to the Base
AU - Bernhardt, Dan
AU - Buisseret, Peter
AU - Hidir, Sinem
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 American Economic Association. All rights reserved.
PY - 2020/3
Y1 - 2020/3
N2 -
We study multi-district legislative elections between two
office-seeking parties when one party has an initial valence advantage
that may shift and even reverse during the campaign; and, each party
cares not only about winning a majority, but also about its share of
seats. When the initial imbalance favoring one party is small, each
party targets the median voter. For moderate imbalances, the advantaged
party maintains the centre-ground, but the disadvantaged party retreats
to target its core supporters; and for large imbalances, the advantaged
party advances toward its opponent, raiding its moderate supporters in
pursuit of an outsized majority.
AB -
We study multi-district legislative elections between two
office-seeking parties when one party has an initial valence advantage
that may shift and even reverse during the campaign; and, each party
cares not only about winning a majority, but also about its share of
seats. When the initial imbalance favoring one party is small, each
party targets the median voter. For moderate imbalances, the advantaged
party maintains the centre-ground, but the disadvantaged party retreats
to target its core supporters; and for large imbalances, the advantaged
party advances toward its opponent, raiding its moderate supporters in
pursuit of an outsized majority.
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U2 - 10.1257/aer.20181606
DO - 10.1257/aer.20181606
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85085371504
SN - 0002-8282
VL - 110
SP - 922
EP - 942
JO - American Economic Review
JF - American Economic Review
IS - 3
ER -