1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910595064903321

Autore

Han Kyung Joon

Titolo

Rationality of irrationality : political determinants and effects of party position blurring / / Kyung Joon Han

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Ann Arbor, Michigan : , : University of Michigan Press, , 2022

©2022

ISBN

9780472902910

0472902911

Edizione

[1st ed.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (232 pages)

Classificazione

POL000000POL015000POL058000

Disciplina

324.2

Soggetti

Political parties

Political party rules

Political psychology

Right and left (Political science)

Political parties - Europe, Western

Political parties - United States

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Title from eBook information screen..

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (pages 193-215) and index.

Sommario/riassunto

Citizens in democracies complain that political parties' positions on major issues are too ambiguous for them to confidently understand. Why is party position ambiguity so common? Are party positions ambiguous because political parties fail in forming a clear policy position or because they deliberately blur their position? Rationality of Irrationality argues that political parties are motivated to strategically blur their position on an issue when they struggle with a certain disadvantage in the issue. Specifically, political parties present an ambiguous position when their own supporters are divided in their stances on the issue. A political party also blurs a position stance when voters do not acknowledge that the party has ability and integrity to solve problems related to the issue. Political parties blur their position in these cases because ambiguous party positions divert voters' attention from the issue. Voters support a political party whose policy



positions on major issues are close to their own stances. However, voters cannot confidently and exactly estimate party positions on an issue when they are only ambiguous.