Do interest groups bias MPs’ perception of party voters’ preferences?

This study analyses how information provided by different types of interest groups influences the ability of members of parliament (MPs) to accurately perceive the preferences of those citizens who voted them into office. To study how information provision by interest groups affects MPs’ perceptions...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Party politics 2022-05, Vol.28 (3), p.567-579
Main Authors: Eichenberger, Steven, Varone, Frédéric, Helfer, Luzia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accountability
Citizens
Democracy
Information sharing
Interest groups
Legislators
Legislatures
Partisanship
Perceptions
Political parties
Polls & surveys
Voter behavior
Voters
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Summary:This study analyses how information provided by different types of interest groups influences the ability of members of parliament (MPs) to accurately perceive the preferences of those citizens who voted them into office. To study how information provision by interest groups affects MPs’ perceptions, we combine unique data from a citizen survey and face-to-face meetings with 151 federal MPs in Switzerland, thus enabling a comparison of actual voter preferences with MPs’ estimations of these preferences. Ties to citizen groups, as self-reported by MPs in our survey, relate to more accurate perceptions by MPs, even when controlling for MPs’ partisan affiliation. Ties to business groups, as declared in the official registry, relate to less accurate perceptions. These findings suggest that interest groups can both tighten and weaken MPs’ link to their party voters, which might have repercussions on substantive representation and democratic accountability.
ISSN:1354-0688
1460-3683
DOI:10.1177/1354068821997079