When (No) Heroes Come Along: The Narratives of Credit and Blame

How do politicians use narratives to claim credit, deflect responsibility, or attribute blame during crises? This study addresses this question by combining insights from Blame Avoidance literature with the Narrative Policy Framework. It explores how political actors use storytelling not only for self-presentation but also to shape public perceptions of others. Politicians may portray themselves as heroes who master crises to claim credit, as victims to deflect responsibility, or attribute blame by creating villains. Empirically, this research focuses on two cases involving Swiss politicians: the narratives employed by the Swiss Minister of Foreign Affairs during the protracted EU negotiations, characterized as a creeping and distant crisis, and the narratives used by the Minister of Health during the highly salient and proximate COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, we analyze the narratives used by the Swiss People's Party acting as main opposition party during both crises. The qualitative analysis of the two cases is complemented by using ChatGPT to systematically analyze narratives across a range of crises and countries. This broader comparative perspective highlights how narrative strategies vary across crisis types, institutional contexts, and politicians' aim to claim credit or deflect blame. Narratives can amplify or mitigate polarization, particularly when they involve divisive blame attribution or the monopolization of credit. We show how these rhetorical maneuvers contribute to shaping public debates and perceptions during crises. The study illuminates how credit-claiming and blame-avoidance strategies can either reinforce or undermine the legitimacy of political actors and institutions, thereby playing an important role in fostering or eroding democratic norms. By bridging the gap between Blame Avoidance literature and the Narrative Policy Framework, this research advances the theoretical understanding of political communication during crises. Moreover, it highlights the importance of narrative choices in maintaining public trust and reducing polarization. Ultimately, this study offers new insights into how politicians’ rhetorical strategies influence the broader dynamics of democratic governance and crisis management.