In this article, we investigate the moderating role of political sophistication on the vote for populist parties in Belgium. Building on the literature about the diverse determinants of populist party support, we investigate whether issue considerations and populism-related motivations play a bigger role in the electoral calculus of politically sophisticated voters. |
Zoekresultaat: 36 artikelen
Article |
Political Sophistication and Populist Party SupportThe Case of PTB-PVDA and VB in the 2019 Belgian Elections |
Tijdschrift | Politics of the Low Countries, Aflevering 3 2020 |
Trefwoorden | populist voters, political sophistication, voting motivations, Belgium, elections |
Auteurs | Marta Gallina, Pierre Baudewyns en Jonas Lefevere |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
Article |
How Issue Salience Pushes Voters to the Left or to the Right |
Tijdschrift | Politics of the Low Countries, Aflevering 3 2020 |
Trefwoorden | voting behaviour, salience, ideological dimensions, elections, Belgium |
Auteurs | Stefaan Walgrave, Patrick van Erkel, Isaïa Jennart e.a. |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
Recent research demonstrates that political parties in western Europe are generally structured along one dimension – and often take more or less similar ideological positions on the economic and cultural dimension – whereas the policy preferences of voters are structured two dimensionally; a considerable part of the electorate combines left-wing stances on one dimension with right-wing stances on the other. These ideologically ‘unserved’ voters are the main focus of this study. Using data from a large-scale survey in Flanders and Wallonia, we demonstrate how the salience of the two dimensions explains whether these unserved voters ultimately end up voting for a right-wing or a left-wing party. Specifically, we show that these voters elect a party that is ideologically closest on the dimension that they deem most important at that time. To summarise, the findings of this study confirm that salience is a key driver of electoral choice, especially for cross-pressured voters. |
Article |
Drivers of Support for the Populist Radical Left and Populist Radical Right in BelgiumAn Analysis of the VB and the PVDA-PTB Vote at the 2019 Elections |
Tijdschrift | Politics of the Low Countries, Aflevering 3 2020 |
Trefwoorden | populism, voting, behaviour, Belgium, elections |
Auteurs | Ine Goovaerts, Anna Kern, Emilie van Haute e.a. |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
This study investigates how protest attitudes and ideological considerations affected the 2019 election results in Belgium, and particularly the vote for the radical right-wing populist party Vlaams Belang (VB) and for the radical left-wing populist party Partij van de Arbeid-Parti du Travail de Belgique (PVDA-PTB). Our results confirm that both protest attitudes and ideological considerations play a role to distinguish radical populist voters from mainstream party voters in general. However, when opposed to their second-best choice, we show that particularly protest attitudes matter. Moreover, in comparing radical right- and left-wing populist voters, the article disentangles the respective weight of these drivers on the two ends of the political spectrum. Being able to portray itself as an alternative to mainstream can give these parties an edge among a certain category of voters, albeit this position is also difficult to hold in the long run. |
Research Note |
Campaigning Online and Offline: Different Ballgames?Presidentialization, Issue Attention and Negativity in Parties’ Facebook and Newspaper Ads in the 2019 Belgian General Elections |
Tijdschrift | Politics of the Low Countries, Aflevering 3 2020 |
Trefwoorden | political advertising, Belgium, social media, newspapers, campaign |
Auteurs | Jonas Lefevere, Peter Van Aelst en Jeroen Peeters |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
This Research Note investigates party advertising in newspapers and on social media (Facebook) during the 2019 general elections in Flanders, the largest region of Belgium. The 2019 elections saw a marked increase in the use of social media advertising by parties, whereas newspaper advertising saw a decline. Prior research that compares multiple types of advertising, particularly advertising on social and legacy media remains limited. As such, based on a quantitative content analysis we investigate not just the prevalence of party advertising on both types of media, but also compare the level of negativity, presidentialisation, and issue emphasis. Our analysis reveals substantial differences: we find that not only the type of advertisements varies across the platforms, but also that social media ads tend to be more negative. Finally, parties’ issue emphasis varies substantially as well, with different issues being emphasized in newspaper and Facebook advertisements. |
Article |
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Tijdschrift | Politics of the Low Countries, Aflevering 3 2020 |
Trefwoorden | Belgian politics, democratic reforms, elections, populist voters, representative democracy |
Auteurs | Lisa van Dijk, Thomas Legein, Jean-Benoit Pilet e.a. |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
Recently, studies have burgeoned on the link between populism and demands for democratic reforms. In particular, scholars have been debating the link between populist citizens or voters and support for referendums. In this article, we examine voters of populist parties (Vlaams Belang (VB) and Parti du Travail de Belgique-Partij van de Arbeid (PTB-PVDA)) in Belgium in 2019 and we look at their attitudes towards various types of democratic reforms. We find that voters of populist parties differ from the non-populist electorate in their support for different kinds of reforms of representative democracy. Voters of VB and PTB-PVDA have in common stronger demands for limiting politicians’ prerogatives, for introducing binding referendums and for participatory budgeting. While Vlaams Belang voters are not significantly different from the non-populist electorate on advisory referendums, citizens’ forums or technocratic reform, PVDA-PTB voters seem more enthusiastic. |
Article |
Emotions and Vote ChoiceAn Analysis of the 2019 Belgian Elections |
Tijdschrift | Politics of the Low Countries, Aflevering 3 2020 |
Trefwoorden | Belgium, elections, emotions, voting behaviour |
Auteurs | Caroline Close en Emilie van Haute |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
This article digs into the relationship between voters’ political resentment and their electoral choice in 2019 by focusing on the respondents’ emotions towards politics. Using the RepResent 2019 voter survey, eight emotions are analysed in their relation to voting behaviour: four negative (anger, bitterness, worry and fear) and four positive (hope, relief, joy and satisfaction). We confirm that voters’ emotional register is at least two-dimensional, with one positive and one negative dimension, opening the possibility for different combinations of emotions towards politics. We also find different emotional patterns across party choices, and more crucially, we uncover a significant effect of emotions (especially negative ones) on vote choice, even when controlling for other determinants. Finally, we look at the effect of election results on emotions and we observe a potential winner vs. loser effect with distinctive dynamics in Flanders and in Wallonia. |
Editorial |
Explaining Vote Choice in the 2019 Belgian ElectionsDemocratic, Populist and Emotional Drivers |
Tijdschrift | Politics of the Low Countries, Aflevering 3 2020 |
Auteurs | Patrick van Erkel, Anna Kern en Guillaume Petit |
Auteursinformatie |
Article |
An Actor Approach to MediatizationLinking Politicians’ Media Perceptions, Communication Behaviour and Appearances in the News |
Tijdschrift | Politics of the Low Countries, Aflevering Online First 2020 |
Trefwoorden | mediatization, politicians, news media, media perceptions, news management |
Auteurs | Pauline Ketelaars en Peter Van Aelst |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
In the light of the broader debate on the mediatization of politics, this study wants to better understand how the media perceptions and media behaviour of politicians are related to their appearances in the news. We opt for an innovative actor-centred approach to actually measure the views and actions of individual politicians. We combine surveys conducted with 142 Belgian representatives with data on politicians’ external communication behaviour and on their appearances in television news, newspapers and news websites. The results show that media behaviour is not so much related to beliefs of media importance. We do find a significant positive relationship between strategic media behaviour and media attention suggesting that politicians who put in more effort appear more often in various news media. However, this positive relationship depends on the specific form of strategic communication and the political position of the legislator. Our study adds to the mediatization literature by showing how and when politicians are successful in obtaining media attention. |
Article |
Interest Representation in BelgiumMapping the Size and Diversity of an Interest Group Population in a Multi-layered Neo-corporatist Polity |
Tijdschrift | Politics of the Low Countries, Aflevering Online First 2020 |
Trefwoorden | interest groups, advocacy, access, advisory councils, media attention |
Auteurs | Evelien Willems, Jan Beyers en Frederik Heylen |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
This article assesses the size and diversity of Belgium’s interest group population by triangulating four data sources. Combining various sources allows us to describe which societal interests get mobilised, which interest organisations become politically active and who gains access to the policy process and obtains news media attention. Unique about the project is the systematic data collection, enabling us to compare interest representation at the national, Flemish and Francophone-Walloon government levels. We find that: (1) the national government level remains an important venue for interest groups, despite the continuous transfer of competences to the subnational and European levels, (2) neo-corporatist mobilisation patterns are a persistent feature of interest representation, despite substantial interest group diversity and (3) interest mobilisation substantially varies across government levels and political-administrative arenas. |
Research Note |
Campaigning Online and Offline: Different Ballgames?Presidentialization, Issue Attention and Negativity in Parties’ Facebook and Newspaper Ads in the 2019 Belgian General Elections |
Tijdschrift | Politics of the Low Countries, Aflevering Online First 2020 |
Trefwoorden | political advertising, Belgium, social media, newspapers, campaign |
Auteurs | Jonas Lefevere, Peter Van Aelst en Jeroen Peeters |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
This Research Note investigates party advertising in newspapers and on social media (Facebook) during the 2019 general elections in Flanders, the largest region of Belgium. The 2019 elections saw a marked increase in the use of social media advertising by parties, whereas newspaper advertising saw a decline. Prior research that compares multiple types of advertising, particularly advertising on social and legacy media remains limited. As such, based on a quantitative content analysis we investigate not just the prevalence of party advertising on both types of media, but also compare the level of negativity, presidentialisation, and issue emphasis. Our analysis reveals substantial differences: we find that not only the type of advertisements varies across the platforms, but also that social media ads tend to be more negative. Finally, parties’ issue emphasis varies substantially as well, with different issues being emphasized in newspaper and Facebook advertisements. |
Article |
Still Consociational? Belgian Democracy, 50 Years After ‘The Politics of Accommodation’ |
Tijdschrift | Politics of the Low Countries, Aflevering 1 2020 |
Trefwoorden | Belgium, consociational democracy, Lijphart, federalism, ethnolinguistic conflict |
Auteurs | Didier Caluwaerts en Min Reuchamps |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
Despite the enduring importance of Lijphart’s work for understanding democracy in Belgium, the consociational model has come under increasing threat. Owing to deep political crises, decreasing levels of trust in elites, increasing levels of ethnic outbidding and rising demands for democratic reform, it seems as if Lijphart’s model is under siege. Even though the consociational solution proved to be very capable of transforming conflict into cooperation in Belgian politics in the past, the question we raise in this article is whether and to what extent the ‘politics of accommodation’ is still applicable to Belgian democracy. Based on an in-depth analysis of the four institutional (grand coalition, proportionality, mutual veto rights and segmental autonomy) and one cultural (public passivity) criteria, we argue that consociational democracy’s very nature and institutional set-up has largely hollowed out its potential for future conflict management. |
Article |
Populism as a Visual Communication StyleAn Exploratory Study of Populist Image Usage of Flemish Block/Interest in Belgium (1991-2018) |
Tijdschrift | Politics of the Low Countries, Aflevering 1 2020 |
Trefwoorden | Populism, image use, visual style, campaign, posters, visual, Flanders, populist right, Belgium |
Auteurs | Kevin Straetemans |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
This article analyses the visual communication of the Flemish populist right-wing party Vlaams Blok/Vlaams Belang, and investigates whether or not the party uses a specific populist communication style in its campaign posters, whether or not its visual style evolves over time and how the party distinguishes itself from other (right-wing) parties in its use of images. To do this, the image use will be compared with the CVP/CD&V and the Volksunie/N-VA. This use of images will be investigated by analysing election posters from 1991 to 2018. The analysis shows that there is indeed a ‘populist visual style’. These items consist mainly of (negative) metaphors, false dilemmas, caricatures and the use of so-called ‘agonic’ visual techniques. |
Article |
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Tijdschrift | Politics of the Low Countries, Aflevering 2 2019 |
Trefwoorden | radical right-wing populist parties, economic policies, welfare chauvinism, populism, deserving poor |
Auteurs | Simon Otjes |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
This article examines the economic agenda of the Dutch Freedom Party. It finds that this party mixes left-wing and right-wing policy positions. This inconsistency can be understood through the group-based account of Ennser-Jedenastik (2016), which proposes that the welfare state agenda of radical right-wing populist parties can be understood in terms of populism, nativism and authoritarianism. Each of these elements is linked to a particular economic policy: economic nativism, which sees the economic interest of natives and foreigners as opposed; economic populism, which seeks to limit economic privileges for the elite; and economic authoritarianism, which sees the interests of deserving and undeserving poor as opposed. By using these different oppositions, radical right-wing populist parties can reconcile left-wing and right-wing positions. |
Symposium |
Relatie politicologie-politiek is veranderd, maar niet verslechterd |
Tijdschrift | Res Publica, Aflevering 4 2018 |
Auteurs | Stefaan Walgrave |
Auteursinformatie |
Research Note |
Het mattheuseffect in de verkiezingscampagne |
Tijdschrift | Res Publica, Aflevering 2 2018 |
Auteurs | Stefaan Walgrave en Christophe Lesschaeve |
Auteursinformatie |
Discussie |
Media en politiek: over simpele vragen en genuanceerde wetenschappelijke antwoorden. |
Tijdschrift | Beleid en Maatschappij, Aflevering 3 2016 |
Auteurs | Prof. Dr. Rens Vliegenthart |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
Reflection and debate initiates academically inspired discussions on issues that are on the current policy agenda. |
Article |
Benadrukken partijen eigen thema’s in verkiezingstijd?Een onderzoek naar thematische aandacht van Nederlandse partijen rond de verkiezingen van 1994 tot en met 2012 |
Tijdschrift | Res Publica, Aflevering 3 2016 |
Trefwoorden | issue ownership, elections, Netherlands, political parties, issue convergence |
Auteurs | Fleur Vis en Jonas Lefevere |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
Issue ownership theory argues that the public considers some parties as more capable to handle certain issues. Issue ownership is important, because parties tend to receive more votes if their owned issues dominate the campaign. Consequently, issue ownership theory expects parties to emphasize issues they own, while ignoring issues owned by their competitors. This study investigates to what extent Dutch parties emphasized issues they own, before and after the seven Dutch national elections held between 1994 and 2012. It uses a detailed content analysis of four Dutch newspapers, that tracked parties’ issue attention. The results show that parties tend to emphasize owned issues more, both compared to other issues and compared to their competitors. A surprising finding is that parties tend to emphasize owned issues more during the formation period compared to the campaign. Moreover, government parties emphasize owned issues less than opposition parties. |
Article |
Politicologen in het Vlaamse televisienieuws: wetenschappers of commentatoren? |
Tijdschrift | Res Publica, Aflevering 2 2016 |
Trefwoorden | scientists, media, news sources, television news, experts |
Auteurs | Julie Sevenans en Stefaan Walgrave |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
This paper studies how scientists appear as news sources in Flemish television news. The focus lies on (1) which political scientists serve as news source, (2) how they are portrayed, and (3) whether their appearances in the news differ from those of scientists from other disciplines. By means of a content analysis over a three-year period (July 2011 – June 2014), the paper shows that political scientists mainly appear in the news to comment upon topical events. Items featuring scientists from other disciplines – other human sciences and especially natural sciences – are more often related to scientific research. Political scientists use other arguments than natural scientists, whose contributions contain less own opinions, and more concrete data and figures, and human scientists (including political scientists) are less often interviewed in a research environment. In the concluding section, the potential consequences of these media appearances for political science as a discipline are discussed. |
Article |
Naar een voorwaardelijk model van ongelijkheid in vertegenwoordigingEen onderzoek naar het moderatie-effect van beleidsdomeinen op ongelijkheid in beleidscongruentie |
Tijdschrift | Res Publica, Aflevering 1 2016 |
Trefwoorden | Policy congruence, inequality, education, policy domains |
Auteurs | Christophe Lesschaeve |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
This article studies the extent to which differences or inequality in policy congruence between higher and lower educated voters are moderated by policy domains. Instead of measuring inequality across all areas of policy, this study takes a policy domain-specific approach. The analyses are based on a dataset containing voters and party positions on 50 policy statements, gathered in the run-up to the 2009 regional election in Belgium largest region, Flanders. We find, overall, only small and unsubstantial, though significant, differences, in policy congruence between higher and lower educated voters, in favor of the former. However, we find a much larger representational bias towards higher educated when we look at transportation, culture and media, immigration, taxand budgetary policy, and economic policy. At the same time, differences in policy congruence are lower as regards spatial planning. Studying inequality in policy congruence across policy domains thus hides more complex patterns of representational bias. |
Article |
Van de krant naar de Kamer en terug?Een studie naar media-aandacht als inspiratie voor en resultaat van het Nederlandse vragenuur |
Tijdschrift | Res Publica, Aflevering 4 2015 |
Trefwoorden | Question hour, media attention, parliamentary questions, newspaper coverage, content analysis |
Auteurs | Peter Van Aelst, Rosa van Santen, Lotte Melenhorst e.a. |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
This study on the role of media attention for the Dutch question hour answers these questions: to what extent is media attention a source of inspiration for oral parliamentary questions? What explains the newsworthiness of these questions? And what explains the extent of media coverage for the questions posed during the question hour? To address this, we present a content analysis of oral parliamentary questions and related press coverage in five recent years. Results show first that oral questions are usually based on media attention for a topic. Concerns about media influence should however be nuanced: it is not necessarily the coverage itself, but also regularly a political statement that is the actual source of a parliamentary question. The media are thus an important ‘channel’ for the interaction between politicians. Second, our analysis shows that oral questions do not receive media attention naturally. Several news values help to explain the amount of news coverage that questions receive. ‘Surfing the wave’ of news attention for a topic in the days previous to the question hour seems to be the best way to generate media attention. |