Dynamic Opinion Representation |
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Authors: | Sö ren Holmberg |
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Affiliation: | *Department of Political Science, Göteborg University, Sprängkullsgatan 19, S-411 23 Göteborg, Sweden |
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Abstract: | Two models of opinion change in a representative democracy are subjected to an empirical test based on data from a series of surveys with voters and members of parliament in Sweden covering the period 1968–1994. An elite-driven opinion model proved to fit the data better than a mass-driven model. Voter opinions shifted more often in the direction of member opinions than vice versa. A run-from-above representation model is more valid for the Swedish case than an idealistic run-from-below model. |
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