Personalization of Politics

The personalization of politics may be defined as an individual politician gaining stature over the relative decline of his or her political power. In the United States, this may be evidenced by the terms “Reaganite” or “Reaganomics” named after President Ronald Reagan, or “Thatcherite” named after England's former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. In essence, the personalization of politics means more emphasis is placed on individuals instead of political parties.

No one single explanation exists regarding the origins of this phenomenon, though one theory states that the ubiquity of the electronic media is the culprit, specifically in national elections. Moreover, the electronic media has been viewed as decisive in shaping the way that governments communicate with voters and their seeking to convert them; at the same time, ...