Assignment Instructions/ Description
Independent Study -- Comparative Examination of Electoral SystemsWinter 2018Paper #2
British National Elections
The purpose of this paper assignment is to explore some of the basic characteristics of national elections in Great Britain, and consider how those characteristics played out in the 2010 UK elections. The selection of readings about the 2010 election will provide a baseline.
Basics of Party Politics in Great BritainIn this section of the paper, you should provide a basic overview of how national elections work. Also provide a brief description of the key political parties. How different are parties from each other? Be sure to note the geographic basis of support for those parties.
Components of Vote ChoiceIn this section, describe and explain the factors that seem to explain voter decision making in British elections. Some of the themes covered in the readings include: social class, voter policy preferences, “valence” considerations. Valence politics is a prominent theme in a lot of research on recent British elections, so pay particular attention to that.
What happened in 2010?In this section, describe and explain election outcomes in 2010. Explain the factors that contributed to Conservative Party success. Be sure to cover elements of valence politics – voter assessments of the economy, evaluations of party leaders, etc. Also take into account campaign efforts, such as party canvassing
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