The unfulfilled electoral potential of West European liberal parties / Alexander Davenport

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Davenport, Alexander, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Elections--Europe, Western--History.

Elections.

Liberalism--Europe, Western--History.

Liberalism.

Political parties--Europe, Western--History.

Political parties.

Europe, Western--Politics and government.

Europe, Western.

Politics and government.

Western Europe.

Genre:

History

Physical Description:

1 online resource : illustrations

Place of Publication:

Oxford : Oxford University Press, [2026]

Summary:

"This book contends that the changing structure of voter preferences in recent decades has provided liberal parties with the potential to gain considerable electoral support by combining economically free-market and culturally cosmopolitan policy positions. This positioning not only fits well with the ideological values held by a growing number of voters but would effectively distinguish the liberal family from its major competitors. However, while many liberal parties (termed ‘social liberals’) occupy such ‘market cosmopolitan’ positions, this has not resulted in an increase in their popular support. Rather, market cosmopolitan voters support more ideologically distant alternatives, despite such behaviour running counter to the expectation that voters will favour parties that share their positioning. The spatial voting analyses employed in the book indicate that this apparent defiance of a spatial logic of voting can be put down to two key factors. Firstly, social liberals’ attempts to win support tend to be hampered by poor ‘valence’ images, relating to these parties’ perceived lack of governing competence and ideological clarity. Secondly, market cosmopolitan voters themselves have developed strong affective ties to other parties and ideological identities, ties which have endured as a result of these voters’ favourable socio-economic circumstances. While these factors have tended to undermine liberal parties’ chances of making significant electoral gains, however, the book concludes by noting that the potential remains for social liberals to systematically increase their vote shares through demographic change and the eventual weakening of market cosmopolitans’ pre-existing party and ideological loyalties"-- Oxford Academic

Contents:

Introduction : Liberal parties and market cosmopolitan voters

From disadvantage to advantage? Liberal parties in a changing political context

Supply and demand in the market cosmopolitan space

Uniting supply and demand : Do market cosmopolitans vote less spatially?

The worst of both worlds? Exploring social liberals’ non-ideological disadvantages

Set in their ways : Explaining market cosmopolitans’ electoral behaviour

The dogs that did bark : The welfare nationalist quadrant

A different story : Market cosmopolitans in Central and Eastern Europe

Conclusion : Unfulfilled potential, but potential nevertheless

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index

Online resource; title from home page (Oxford Academic, viewed March 11, 2026)

Other Format:

Print version: Davenport, Alexander Unfulfilled electoral potential of West European liberal parties

ISBN:

9780198978848

0198978847

9780198978824

0198978820

9780198978831

0198978839

OCLC:

1554752875

Publisher Number:

CIPO000324842

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license