Democratic Elections

How do democratic elections work? Do elections make representatives accountable, and if so, under what conditions? What preferences do electorates reveal to us when they choose candidates for office, and how do candidates and representatives respond to these preferences? What external factors change the dynamics between candidates and electorates? In this class we will study the functioning of democratic elections, mainly in the context of legislative elections. Because this is an elections course, the unit of analysis will be the constituency or the candidate rather than the individual voter, as it might be in a behavior course. We want to understand how candidates make it to office¿i.e., the aggregated choices of many voters¿and how the prospect of reelection shapes their behavior in office.