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How voters adapt when parties fuse, split or combine

When parties undergo abrupt organisational changes between elections – such as when they fuse, split, join or abandon party lists – they alter profoundly the organisation and supply of electoral information to voters. 

The alternatives on the ballot are no longer fixed but need to be actively sought out. In her new book Coping with Complexity, author Dani Marinova examines how voters cope with the complexity triggered by party instability. Breaking with previous literature, she suggests that voters are versatile and ingenious decision-makers who adapt to informational complexity with less costly heuristics uniquely suited to the challenges they face. 

Her rich and nuanced findings illustrate that political parties hold a key to understanding voter behaviour and representation in modern democracy. 

'This is a breakthrough work, spotlighting the dynamics of party system instability and voters' coping strategies.' – Paul Sniderman, Stanford University

'...voters nowadays have to make their electoral decisions in erratic contexts... This book is a must for all political scientists who are seeking to understand the decisions of those entering the ballot box in times of party instability.' – Marta Fraile, European Union Institute

Keywords: Public Choice, Party Systems, Voting Behaviour

02 August 2016
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