Heterogeneous preferences in multidimensional spatial voting models: Ideology and nationalism in Spain

• Autores: Gonzalo Rivero
• Localización: Electoral Studies: An international Journal, ISSN 0261-3794, Nº 40, 2015, págs. 136-145
• Idioma: inglés
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• Dialnet Métricas: 1 Cita
• Resumen

  • The empirical literature on spatial voting models usually focuses on the behavior of the average voter. However, when distance in multiple issues are evaluated simultaneously, voters may exhibit different preferences with regard to the weight they assign to each dimension. This paper analyzes the specification of the voting equation in multiple dimensions when there is variation in preferences at the individual level. I apply the model to three Spanish regions in which the political arena is split into an ideological and a national dimension (Galicia, Basque Country, and Catalonia). The model indicates that not only the average individual but also most voters are more attentive to ideology rather than to nationalism. A predictive simulation for different trade-offs between the two dimension shows the substantive relevance of individual heterogeneity.