Leaders, Candidates, and Personalisation of Politics

Abstract

This panel examines the role of political leaders, candidates, and personalisation in shaping political attitudes, accountability, and voting behaviour. The papers explore whether affective responses to radical parties reflect ideological disagreement, how voters evaluate candidates based on policy positions, personal traits, and partisanship, and how perceived threats contribute to affective polarisation across Germany and Spain. The panel also considers whether accountability has become increasingly personalised in parliamentary systems and examines long-term trends in personality-driven politics and voting behaviour. Together, the papers explore the growing importance of leaders and candidates in contemporary electoral politics.

Title	Details
Has There Been a Personalization of Accountability in Parliamentary Government?	View Paper Details
Perceived Threats and Horizontal Affective Polarization: A Comparative Study of Germany and Spain	View Paper Details
The Longitudinal Trends of Personality Politics in Voting Behavior	View Paper Details
Classifying Candidate Evaluations: Policy, Traits, and Partisanship in the American National Election Studies	View Paper Details
Affective Polarization or Ideological Disagreeement? Feelings Toward Radical Parties in Belgium.	View Paper Details