Political Representation and Sub-National Elections

Abstract

While we now know a lot about political representation and elections at the European and national level, research in this area at the sub-national level is still scarce. This comes as a surprise, since the sub-national level is particularly important in a multi-layered political system. The often directly elected representatives hold considerable political powers and surveys regularly show that citizens feel strongly attached to their regions. Therefore, the present panel seeks to close this gap in the literature by analysing political representation with a special focus on sub-national elections (i.e. regional or local elections, respectively). This panel invites papers that investigate, for example, the content of sub-national party manifestos, the reaction of established parties to challenger parties as well as sub-national parties' position-taking and issue emphasis. That includes studies discussing the unequal representation of certain groups in the society in sub-national elections. Furthermore, research that addresses voting behaviour at sub-national elections is welcome as well. We encourage the submission of comparative papers as well as single case studies.

Title	Details
Let the Cobbler Stick to His Last? Issue Salience in Sub-National Party Manifestos	View Paper Details
More Than Rules: The Effects of Electoral Systems in a Multilevel Context	View Paper Details
Radical Left Parties and Legislative Responsiveness	View Paper Details
Under Pressure? How Mainstream Parties in European Regions Adjust Their EU Positions When Challenged by Euroskeptic Parties	View Paper Details
Voting in Multi-Level Systems: Motives of Ticket-Splitters in Austria	View Paper Details