How do political expectations shape responsibility attribution for unpopular policies or adverse policy consequences? Existing studies in political science suggest that the level of congruence between the identifiable harm/loss (resulting from a policy) and the expectations from the policy-maker appears to play a role in determining the likelihood and degree of public blame (Ross 2000, Green-Pedersen 2002, Berrebi & Klor 2006, Zohlnhöfer 2007, Zohlnhöfer et al. 2012). However, a key limitation of these studies has been in establishing whether this association actually represents a causal relationship. Furthermore, if this relationship is indeed causal, what is the specific mechanism that leads political expectations to moderate responsibility judgments? Our research experimentally study the causal effect of partisan congruence between political actors and of policies on the level of responsibility attributed in Germany and Israel, in two time points for each country (4 experiments). This experimental project explores a series of hypothetical mechanisms that may account for this relationship. The findings of this study are expected to contribute to our understanding of an often unavoidable tension between democratic accountability and the need of elected officials to adopt unpopular policies.
