Deck 9: Party Competition

Question 1

Which of the following is NOT a key assumption of the Downsian model of party competition?

A) A two-party system.
B) Party strategies shaping the issues voters care about.
C) Unidimensional electoral competition.
D) Primacy of policy preferences over valence issues.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

What is the Issue Competition model of party competition?

A) Parties focus on making the election about those issues on which they are considered the most competent by voters.
B) Party competition is fought exclusively on the basis of issues.
C) In each election, one issue is the most salient and whichever party is most congruent in this issue will win the election.
D) Parties can only win elections when they are the only party owning a particular issue.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of these statements about valence politics is NOT correct?

A) Valence issues matter only when major parties are very distant ideologically.
B) Voters' evaluation of leaders' character and competence matter when making decisions about whom to vote for.
C) Challenger parties often adopt a valence strategy by pointing out corruption or dishonesty amongst mainstream and government parties.
D) Many voters decide who to vote for based on valence considerations.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which of the following is NOT a strategy for mainstream parties to react to niche parties?

A) Accommodative strategy
B) Adversarial strategy
C) Emotional strategy
D) Dismissive strategy

Question 5

Which of the following best describes the majority of European party systems?

A) Single-party system
B) Multi-party system
C) Two-party system
D) Dominant party system