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Dynamic Opinion Representation
Author(s) -
Holmberg Sören
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
scandinavian political studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.65
H-Index - 41
eISSN - 1467-9477
pISSN - 0080-6757
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-9477.1997.tb00195.x
Subject(s) - parliament , elite , representation (politics) , political science , democracy , econometrics , politics , law , economics
Two models of opinion change in a representative democracy are subjected to an empirical test based on data from a series of surveys with voters and members of parliament in Sweden covering the period 1968–1994. An elite‐driven opinion model proved to fit the data better than a mass‐driven model. Voter opinions shifted more often in the direction of member opinions than vice versa. A run‐from‐above representation model is more valid for the Swedish case than an idealistic run‐from‐below model.