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  American Journal of Political ScienceVolume 51 Issue 1, Pages 151 - 165 Published Online: 4 Jan 2007 © 2010 Midwest Political Science Association Published on behalf of the Midwest Political Science Association
Abstract | References | Full Text: HTML, PDF (Size: 169K) | Related Articles | Citation Tracking  Principle vs. Pragmatism: Policy Shifts and Political Competition I would like to thank Taavi Annus, Christine Cheng, Jonathan Krieckhaus, Patrik Marier, and Barbara Trish for valuable comments on various drafts of this article. An earlier version of the article was presented at the annual meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, April 20–23, 2006. Copyright 2007, Midwest Political Science Association ABSTRACTThis article investigates the electoral effect of party policy shifts. I argue that whether party policy shifts are damaging or rewarding depends on whether the shift occurs in the pragmatic or principled issue domain. On pragmatic issues, voters value "getting things done." Policy shifts in this domain signal responsiveness to the changing environment and are likely to be rewarded. Principled issues, however, concern core beliefs and values. Any policy shift in this domain is a sign of inconsistency and lack of credibility, which is likely to lead to voter withdrawal. These arguments are supported by evidence from 23 advanced democracies over a period of 40 years. | 
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