Economics and Political Behavior

[Page 220]Economic conditions are quite consistently found to affect citizens’ behavior and their voting behavior more specifically. Economic conditions do so in three different ways. First, voters’ opinions on what economic policies should be pursued guide their choices in the polling booth. Second, citizens’ personal economic situation is correlated to their vote choice. Third, voters reward and punish incumbents according to (changes in) the state of the economy, indicating the use of the vote as a mechanism to hold governing politicians accountable for their performance in office. This entry gives an overview of the theories with regard to each of these dimensions that link economics and voting behavior, although the focus is mostly on economic voting as a mechanism of accountability. The entry further offers ...