            
 |
|
|
Blaming the Government: Citizens and the Economy in Five European Democracies
|
||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
Comments/Reviews
Description: Conventional wisdom has it that the state of the economy drives public support for governments. Yet the relationship between economic performance and mass opinion appears to vary in strength and direction across time and across countries. Why? To answer this question, Blaming the Government examines the impact of macroeconomic conditions on public support for the government in Britain, France, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany. The author maintains that theories that seek to relate economic conditions to public tupport require the systematic incorporation of a country's politics and political context. The assignment of credit and blame for economic performance is structured by political institutions that provide for the choices available to citizens.
Comment(s): "A rare example of comparative scholarship that has much to say about the importance of politics. ... [The author] combines sophisticated analysis with an engaging style that makes for an equally absorbing and rewarding read." -- Helmut Norpoth, SUNY, Stony Brook
"A pathbreaking comparative study of how economic conditions affect public support for political parties in contemporary Western democracies. ... Anderson's carefully crafted analyses of how economic and political variables interact to influence the dynamics of party support in five countries are theoretically important and empirically well-grounded. His demonstration that the popularity of governing parties is conditioned by variations in the extent to which voters attribute responsibility to governments for the state of the economy is a major contribution. Clearly written and eminently readable, Blaming the Government is must reading for students of comparative political economy." -- Harold D. Clarke, University of North Texas
Review(s): Anderson's examination of the dynamics of public support in Britain, France, (West) Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands, is a praiseworthy advance. ... The author deserves credit for a detailed yet lucid presentation, incorporating numerous statistical tests yet making the central message clear even to non-quantoids. Political Studies
Obligatory reading for students of politics - as an antidote to the conventional wisdom and as testimony against political simplicities. ... There is much to ponder in this study. Particularly welcome, in a literature bedevilled by technical debate, is its accessibility for non-econometricians, and its straightforward presentation of the arguments and the analysis. But most of all, in adopting a comparative perspective, the study is a counterpoise to the universalizing tendencies of much of the literature on the political economy of government support. Party Politics
    
|