STEFAAN A. J. WALGRAVE (professor, political science at the University of Antwerp)

How accurate are politicians’ perceptions of what the citizens want?

Democratic representation implies that elected politicians do what the people want. In order to reach that ideal, politicians can follow their perception of public opinion. But how accurate are representatives’ perceptions of public opinion? In this talk the determinants of perceptual accuracy are examined. Although some politicians clearly have more accurate perceptions than others there does not seem to be a strong pattern distinguishing less from more accurate politicians. Most importantly, elite politicians are not holding more accurate perceptions of public opinion than backbenchers. The key determinant of politicians’ perception of public opinion is their own opinion. Politicians project their own preferences onto the population as a whole. This implies that, from a democratic perspective, the burden of representation sits on the shoulders of the citizens who should elect the politicians who reflect their own preferences most.

Venue: MTA Humán Tudományok Kutatóháza PTI Körtárgyaló
1097 Budapest, Tóth Kálmán u. 4. T.2.28. (Building T, Floor 2 28.)