Jeffrey A. Karp

• Professor (Full) at Australian National University

Research on the effectiveness of negative campaigning offers mixed results. Negative messages can sometimes work to depress candidate evaluations, but they can also backfire against the attacker. In this article, we examine how humor can help mitigate the unintended effects of negative campaigning using data from three experimental studies in the U...

Doubts about electoral integrity, whether true or false, can undermine faith in the legitimacy of the democratic process. We investigate the reasons for such doubts in the case of the 2016 Federal elections in Australia. A three-wave panel survey of the electorate established that one third of Australians believed (falsely) that the outcome was fra...

Categories are one of the primary ways by which people make sense of complex environments. For political environments, parties are especially useful categories. By simplifying political life, party categories enable people to make sense of politics. A fundamental characteristic of party categories is that they minimize perceived differences of memb...

Features of electoral systems have been found to have positive effects on evaluations of democracy. We propose that there are larger social forces that must be accounted for in such analyses. Using European Social Survey measures of democratic expectations and the 'satisfaction with democracy,' item, we test for effects of electoral rules on percep...

Online surveys have seen a rapid growth in the past decade and are now frequently being used for electoral research. Although they have obvious advantages, it is unclear whether the data produce inferences similar to more traditional face-to-face surveys, particularly when response to the survey is correlated with the survey variables of interest....

The former Communist countries of Eastern Europe have markedly lower levels of voter turnout than Western European countries, which could be a cause for concern if it represents a rejection of democratic values. In this article, we examine what people think about democracy and how these attitudes affect their likelihood of participating in the demo...

This chapter examines the development of cross-national survey research in political science and the challenges that it brings. Cross-national surveys have proliferated across the globe and arguably now form one of the most important frontiers in the development of survey research in political science. Cross-national comparison allows researchers t...

Although party leaders are now assumed to play a more important role in parliamentary elections, little is known about how voters form opinions about leaders. In this article, we rely on theories of priming to investigate how media exposure influences leadership evaluations. The analysis is based on a unique examination of the nature and dynamics o...

Electoral systems are assumed to enhance political efficacy and encourage participation through party mobilisation because they create incentives for parties (or candidates) to mobilise voters. This paper makes use of survey data collected after elections in more than 30 countries, spanning a variety of party systems in both established and new dem...

There is an increasing recognition of the importance of party leaders in British elections. The 2010 election only served to reinforce their perceived importance with the introduction of three leaders’ debates. Thus, more than ever, an understanding of contemporary elections necessitates an understanding of the dimensions of leadership that matter...

Despite very different historical and constitutional bases for how we nominate presidential candidates and elect presidents to office, as well as very different political processes (sequential versus simultaneous voting), both the presidential nominating process and the Electoral College are rooted in state elections, not a national election, and b...

This chapter focuses on how political and institutional features encourage or inhibit more active forms of political participation. Specifically, the chapter explores how the electoral supply (both in terms of the nature and extent of choices) and other contextual factors, such as the electoral system, number of parties, democratic development, and...

Coalition governments are the norm in parliamentary democracies. Yet, despite the predominance of this type of government, political scientists have only recently started to investigate how voters approach elections when a coalition government is the likely outcome. Such elections present additional uncertainty and complexity for voters compared wi...

Whereas the classic literature on strategic voting has focused on the dilemma faced by voters who prefer a candidate for whom they expect has little chance of winning a seat, we consider the dilemma faced by voters in PR systems who do not expect their preferred party to be in government. We develop hypotheses relating to strategic voting over mult...

Descriptive representation is believed to provide both an important symbolic value for underrepresented groups such as women and minorities as well as policy benefits. Little is known, however, about how the public views diversity in representation. This paper examines attitudes about the gender and racial balance in the U.S. Congress. We propose a...

Although economic theories have been advanced to explain public support for the common currency, we know very little about how public support for the euro has been affected by its economic impact. We hypothesize that concern about rising prices following the introduction of the euro may have dam-pened enthusiasm for the project. We use Eurobaromete...

Although mixed member proportional (MMP) systems offer several advantages they also have one potential problem that threatens the legitimacy of electoral outcomes. Some suggest that these systems suffer from a ’contamination effect’ where candidates have the potential to influence the party list vote which ultimately determines the partisan composi...

Citizens living in presidential or parliamentary systems face different political choices as do voters casting votes in elections governed by rules of proportional representation or plurality. Political commentators seem to know how such rules influence political behaviour. They firmly believe, for example, that candidates running in plurality syst...

There is increasing recognition of the importance of party leaders in British elections. The internationalization of domestic politics, growth of the state, erosion of the traditional cleavage of class, and changes in media coverage of elections, have all contributed to the presidentialization of the office of British prime minister (McAllister 200...

© 2008 International Society of Political Psychology. Permission to post published version granted by editorial board. In low-information elections, voters are often faced with the task of choosing from a list of unknown candidates. By examining a set of low-information elections where candidate photographs were displayed on the ballot, we test how...

© 2008 Cambridge University Press Advocates of proportional representation (PR) often cite its potential for increasing citizen involvement in politics as one of PR's fundamental advantages over plurality or first-past-the-post systems. The assumption is that plurality electoral systems distort the translation of votes into seats, discouraging and...

Although women appear to be less interested and less engaged in politics than men, some evidence suggests that the presence of women as candidates and office holders can help to stimulate political engagement among women. Using data from the Comparative Study of Electoral Systems (CSES), we investigate how the election of women in national legislat...

The process of democratization in an increasing number of diverse societies has focused attention on how best to devise electoral systems (as well as other institutions) in order to manage ethnic conflict. Institutional arrangements that allow for power-sharing between groups or arrangements that encourage political actors to appeal to those outsid...

© 2007 Cambridge University Press A long tradition within political science examines the impact of party canvassing on voter participation. Very little of this work, however, is comparative in scope. This essay examines how system-level characteristics shape the nature and impact of party canvassing and how voters respond to those efforts. Parties...

Recent research on congressional elections suggests that voters are more likely to split their votes in ideologically extreme districts. The authors suggest that in this type of context, uncertainty about candidate position rather than clarity explains the occurrence of ticket splitting. Using data from a rolling cross-section campaign survey where...

Widespread approval of direct democracy has been attributed to politically engaged citizens who seek more opportunities to participate in politics. Others suggest that people prefer a limited role in politics, but cynicism with representation leads them to embrace direct democracy. The authors analyze opinion in sixteen affluent democracies to test...

Political parties play a pivotal role by mobilizing citizens to participate in the political process. This may be particularly important in new democracies, where party attachments are weak and voter turnout is low. Using data drawn from the Comparative Study of Electoral Systems (CSES), we examine citizen's reported contact with political parties...

Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) electoral systems are considered by some to be ''the best of both worlds'' because they combine single member district representation with proportional outcomes. Critics, however, maintain that such systems cause voter confusion leading some voters to cast misinformed votes. Survey data from Germany and New Zealand a...

The debate in New Zealand over whether to adopt a mixed-member proportional (MMP) system was based on a number of predictions about the effects of electoral systems. After four elections under MMP we are now in a better position to evaluate the validity of these claims. We find that both proponents and opponents made claims that proved to be true b...

The expanding use of direct democracy in many established democracies reflects a desire to provide citizens with more opportunities to be involved in the political process. These changes are assumed to be embraced by those who demand greater citizen involvement, though the underlining motivation remains unclear. One theory assumes that support is l...

We examine whether MPs and candidates for parliament are motivated by electoral self-interest, values, ideology, or all of these when evaluating proposals for changing electoral institutions. Using survey data from four countries (Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, and New Zealand), we find that candidates who won election are less supportive of...

  The European Union sees the inclusion of many Eastern European states – enlargement – as a natural progression in the process of building an ‘ever closer union’. For the European Commission in particular, the process of enlargement (broadening) is part of the process of integration and acts as a complement to the development of a stronger role fo...

Theory and evidence suggests that respondents are likely to overreport voter turnout in election surveys because they have a strong incentive to offer a socially desirable response. We suggest that contextual influences may affect the socially desirable bias, leading to variance in the rate of overreporting across countries. This leads us to hypoth...

In 2004 voters in Colorado decided whether to approve an initiative that would divide the state's nine electoral votes on a proportional basis rather than retain the existing system that awards electoral votes on a winner-take-all basis. If passed the measure would go into effect immediately having the potential to affect the outcome of the preside...

In this paper we examine the role that political scandals play in eroding regard for government and political institutions in general. We know that scandals can lower regard for individual politicians and government leaders. Yet, less is known about how scandal influences attitudes toward institutions and the political process. It has been widely a...

Many prominent social theorists contend that memberships in voluntary associations make major contributions to making citizens more engaged with democracy. Although substantial attention has been directed at the potential role of sports groups, previous studies using survey data have not found membership in sports groups to be associated with polit...

According to the minority empowerment thesis, minority representation strengthens representational links, fosters more positive attitudes toward government, and encourages political participation. We examine this theory from a cross-national perspective, making use of surveys that sampled minorities in the United States and New Zealand. Both countr...

Much of the comparative literature on turnout suggests that party mobilization efforts can explain the turnout advantage among electoral systems that use proportional representation (PR). We examine this question in the context of the 1999 European Parliamentary elections. Using survey data from a range for European countries, we show that party ca...

© 2003 Cambridge University Press Attitudes towards the political system have often been assumed to be stable attributes that are not easily influenced by short-term forces. We examine the extent to which attention to media coverage, campaign activity and electoral outcomes can mobilize support for the political system in the context of an election...

Recent reforms have been designed to enhance the power of the European Parliament to counter criticisms of a "democratic deficit" in the European Union (EU). We examine how citizens now view these institutions and whether such evaluations influence their satisfaction with the way democracy works in the EU. Previous research has maintained that eval...

Initiative and referendum use has widespread public support in many established democracies. We use data from four nations to test hypotheses about approval of direct democracy. We find that people see similar flaws in representative and direct democracy, and that their support for direct democracy is a function of how they assess the relative powe...

Voters are often faced with the task of choosing among unknown candidates in low information elections. In this paper we test how candidate appearance cues (such as race or ethnicity, gender and attractiveness) can be used by voters by examining a set of elections where candidate photographs were displayed on the ballot. We also test how the use of...

Support for a common currency and the European Monetary Union signifies that European citizens are willing to transfer power from the nation-state to the European Union. This willingness to give up sovereignty has important implications for the further integration and development of the EU. We examine how support for the euro reflects a multi-level...

Legislators typically control the design of political institutions, and can be expected to craft rules that work to their advantage. In some nations, however, legislators adopt provisions for direct democracy-an institu- tion that might weaken the control that established parties and incum- bents have over political agendas. We examine the nature o...

Legislators typically control the design of political institutions, and can be expected to craft rules that work to their advantage. In some nations, however, legislators adopt provisions for direct democracy-an institution that might weaken the control that established parties and incumbents have over political agendas. We examine the nature of le...

Recent research on voting in Germany's mixed electoral system suggests that split voting has more to do with voter confusion than sophistication, although this remains a matter of debate. We examine this question in the context of New Zealand's new mixed system, which is modeled after Germany's. We focus on alternative explanations for split voting...

Proximity and directional spatial models yield different predictions for mass-elite linkages under alternative electoral systems. Whereas the proximity or Downsian model predicts that parties are likely to adopt positions that are closer to their voters, the alternative directional model predicts parties will adopt more extreme positions in order t...

Following approval of a referendum in 1993, New Zealand replaced its first–past–the–post electoral system with proportional representation (PR). Although support for PR was initially high, less than a third expressed support for the new system a year and a half after its implementation. We examine two explanations for this decline. One theory assum...

Liberal absentee laws are designed to make voting easier, which should stimulate turnout. Using data from the National Election Studies, we test the hypothesis that persons who choose to vote early are already highly motivated to participate in the political process. We find support for this hypothesis, which raises questions about the extent to wh...

While a significant amount of research seeks to explain the comparative number of women in national legislatures, there is little research that examines the effects of women's leadership of political parties on voting behaviour. This article brings together research on leadership effects in parliamentary elections and female candidate effects in le...

We examine the question of whether or not reducing the costs of voting by conducting elections entirely through the mail rather than at the traditional polling place increases participation. Using election data from Oregon, we examine whether or not elections conducted through the mail increase turnout in both local and statewide elections. Using p...

This paper compares support for New Zealand's new electoral system among party candidates and their voters. We examine the extent to which partisan self -interest, preference for coalition government, and support for proportionali ty influences attitudes about fairness and support for the new electoral system. Our results indicate that elites expre...

PR systems often are credited with producing more equitable outcomes between political parties and encouraging wider social group representation than majoritarian systems. Theory suggests that this should instill greater trust, efficacy, and faith in the political system. We assume that citizens disadvantaged by majoritarian rules (political minori...

Theories of voter turnout assume that institutional arrangements can alter incentives for participation. Countries with proportional representation (PR) are assumed to increase the incentives to participate because they reduce the proportion of votes that are wasted, giving voters a stronger incentive to participate and parties a stronger incentive...

: Advocates of proportional representation (PR) often cite its potential for increasing citizen involvement in politics as one of PR's fundamental advantages over plurality or first past the post (FPP) systems. Electoral systems that distort the translation of votes into seats are assumed to alienate and discourage small party supporters leading to...

: Although the spatial model of elections has been a predominate paradigm in election studies, some empirical tests have found the model lacking (Stokes 1963; Rabinowitz 1978). The model has been criticized on the basis of an empirical anomaly that parties tend to take more extreme positions than that of their voters. The directional model of issue...

This paper explores the causes and consequences of evaluations of the political system and support for electoral system change. In 1993, New Zealand voters adopted a referendum that fundamentally changed the way representatives are elected, moving from a plurality to a proportional (PR) electoral system. We examine the role of cynicism about the po...

PR systems often are credited with producing more equitable outcomes between political parties and encouraging wider social group representation than majoritarian systems. Theory suggests that this should instill greater trust, efficacy, and faith in the political system. We assume that citizens disadvantaged by majoritarian rules (political minori...

A number of theories have been offered to explain popular support for term limits and their passage in states across the country. Using survey data from the 1992 American National Election Study and several other statewide surveys, this article examines the following explanations for term limits support: dissatisfaction with Congress and state legi...

The authors examine the electoral effects of political scandal and redistricting, two conventional wisdom explanations for 1992's higher than usual House turnover. They use the strategic politician theory as a basis for their analysis to examine retirements, primary outcomes, and general election outcomes. The theory assumes that politicians (both...

“Independent leaners” have been characterized as both apathetic non-partisansand closet party identifiers. We argue that they are neither. We demonstrate that thesevoters possess characteristics that distinguish them from both partisans and “pure”independents but are, rather, “critical citizens” (Norris 1999), a term that describesattentive, “apart...

Many prominent social theorists contend that memberships in voluntary associ- ations make major contributions to making citizens more engaged with democ- racy. Although substantial attention has been directed at the potential role of sports groups, previous studies using survey data have not found membership in sports groups to be associated with p...

While a great deal of research has been devoted toward examining support for European integration, we know less about how such attitudes structure support for the European Union's institutions and rules. Using recent survey data from the Eurobaromater, we examine whether citizens attitudes about European integration along with their concern for the...

In this paper we bridge two separate lines of inquiry regarding ethnic minorities. First, scholars have investigated the impact of institutions on representation, namely, the effect of electoral systems on the number of women serving. However, little comparative research has focused on the representation of ethnic minorities. Second, scholars have...

Abstract will be provided by author.

Abstract will be provided by author.

Voting on term limits offers citizens an opportunity to vent their frustration with the process by giving them the chance to "throw the rascals out". Such a characterization implies that voting on issues like term limits is based more on emotion than rational calculus. This may be true especially when information about the issue in question is low....

We examine elite support for electoral arrangements in Germany and New Zealand. Both countries share a mixed electoral system (MMP) that combines single member districts with proportional representation. New Zealand's experience with MMP is relatively brief, having held just three elections since 1996 while Germany's experience dates back to the 19...

The process of democratization in an increasing number of diverse societies has focused attention on how best to devise electoral systems (as well as other institutions) in order to manage ethnic conflict. Institutional arrangements that allow for power-sharing between groups or arrangements that encourage political actors to appeal to those outsid...

Abstract will be provided by author.

Abstract will be provided by author.

Abstract will be provided by author.