Value Creation in Political Exchanges: A Qualitative Study

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how voters conceptualize value in political exchanges. The study used 10 in-depth interviews to penetrate the world view of participants to determine how they construct value and meaning in political exchanges. The findings 5 suggest that value in political exchanges operates at both a process and outcome level. Specifically, value was found to comprise economic, societal, altruistic, social, and expedient components. This research calls for a strategic redefinition of how politicians and political consultants offer value to voters in political exchanges.