Conceptualizing Municipal Elections: The Case of Toronto 2018

Since Angus Campbell and colleagues first introduced the “levels of conceptualization” (LoC) framework as a measure of political sophistication, a number of scholars have applied the approach to subsequent American national elections. In this study, we present the first application of the LoC framew...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Urban affairs review (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) Calif.), 2022-09, Vol.58 (5), p.1438-1465
Main Authors: Matthews, J. Scott, Michael McGregor, R., Stephenson, Laura B.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Candidates
Cities
Concept formation
Elections
Local elections
Local politics
National elections
Politics
Race
Sophistication
Supporters
Voter behavior
Voter turnout
Voters
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Summary:Since Angus Campbell and colleagues first introduced the “levels of conceptualization” (LoC) framework as a measure of political sophistication, a number of scholars have applied the approach to subsequent American national elections. In this study, we present the first application of the LoC framework to a municipal election, and focus upon the 2018 Toronto mayoral race. After describing the method and data we use to adapt the framework to this new context, we replicate previous analyses, and find that LoC is related to local voter turnout and several measures of political sophistication. We then consider the question of whether major candidates were discussed at different LoC, and if their supporters view local politics at different LoC. We conclude by making the case that the LoC framework is helpful for resolving the debate over whether local politics are ideological or managerial in nature.
ISSN:1078-0874
1552-8332
DOI:10.1177/10780874211031155