Introduction

The prominent political theorist Robert A. Dahl (1971, p 1) emphasised ‘the continuing responsiveness of the government to the preferences of its citizens’ as a key characteristic of democratic governance. Simply put, a responsive government is a government that is attentive to, and influenced by, the voice of the people (Sartori, 1976). In the specific context of policy responsiveness, a government is responsive if there is a high level of congruence between the policy preferences and actions of the elected representatives and collective public attitudes towards policy issues (Hobolt and Klemmemsen, 2005). Evidence from Western democracies suggests that there is indeed a close correspondence between public opinion and policy behaviour of governments (Page and Shapiro, 1983, 1992; Stimson et al, 1995; Hobolt and Klemmemsen, 2005).

Political parties are considered to be significant actors in the realisation of this ideal of a responsive government. At the most fundamental level, political parties are supposed to transmit popular preferences into policy (Stokes, 1999). In Anthony Downs’ (1957) classical framework of electoral competition, parties choose the vote-maximising position in the relevant policy space, and accordingly, just as economic competition leads firms to produce what consumers want, electoral competition induces parties ‘to give voters what they want’ (Stokes, 1999, p 251).

This view of electoral competition corresponds to what it is also called the ‘mandate’ view of elections (Manin et al, 1999). In this framework parties make policy proposals during campaigns and explain how these proposals would affect citizens’ welfare, often outlined in the election campaign manifestos. In turn, citizens evaluate which of these proposals best serve their interests and choose the party whose proposals they want to see implemented – giving a ‘mandate’ to a party to carry out its promises. As such, elections serve to realise the selection and implementation of policies that best correspond to the public's demands.

A first crucial step towards assessing the responsiveness of political parties in a country, then, is to look at what policy issues different parties emphasise. Which public policy categories are prioritised by the political parties? Is there a divergence in the prioritisation of different policy categories across political parties, or are there some policy areas that are emphasised by all major parties?