Blame and punishment? The electoral politics of extreme austerity in Greece

Karyotis, G. and Rudig, W. (2013) Blame and punishment? The electoral politics of extreme austerity in Greece. Political Studies, 63(1), pp. 2-24. (doi: 10.1111/1467-9248.12076)

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Abstract

Can governments that introduce extreme austerity measures survive elections? Contrary to economic voting expectations, the PASOK government in Greece initially appeared to cope quite well, claiming victory in regional elections in 2010 despite widespread anti-austerity protest. In this paper, we interpret this result with the help of a post-election survey, which also covered future voting intention. The explanatory power of models based on theories of economic voting and blame attribution as well as the electoral impact of the government’s representation of the crisis as an existential threat are assessed. Our analysis challenges the interpretation of the 2010 election as an indication of support for PASOK’s austerity policies and reveals weaknesses in its support base, which help contextualise its downfall in the 2012 Parliamentary elections. The paper also underlines the importance of studying the impact of crises discourses on voting choice, particularly since blame attribution receives little support in this case.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Karyotis, Professor Georgios
Authors: Karyotis, G., and Rudig, W.
College/School:College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences
Journal Name:Political Studies
Publisher:Political Studies Association / Wiley
ISSN:0032-3217
ISSN (Online):1467-9248
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2014 Political Studies Association / Wiley
First Published:First published in Political Studies 63(1):2-24
Publisher Policy:Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher.

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