2023 Fiscal Year Research-status Report
Fleeing the Mainstream: Party Positions and Voter Perceptions in Contemporary Liberal Democracies
| Project/Area Number |
22K20119
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| Research Institution | Waseda University |
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Principal Investigator |
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| Project Period (FY) |
2022-08-31 – 2025-03-31
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| Keywords | Ideology / Voter perceptions / European integration / Challenger parties |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
I completed two papers. The first paper, titled "Elite Convergence in and outside the EU: Party Positions and Voter Perceptions" offers an empirical evaluation of the effects of European integration on actual and perceived ideological positions of mainstream parties. I show that parties tend to converge ideologically as countries integrate into the EU and that voters residing in highly EU-integrated countries are more likely to view these parties as ideologically similar. A second paper, titled "Mainstream Party Convergence and Radical Right Success, A comparative analysis of Italy, Germany and Japan using CSES survey data" examines the electoral support for the far-right in Italy, Germany, and Japan.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
3: Progress in research has been slightly delayed.
Reason
My initial plan was to conduct my own surveys. I likely underestimated the costs of conducting complex surveys in multiple countries, as well as the technical hurdles. I therefore had to adjust the plan so as to address my research questions using observational data. Nevertheless, I was able to complete 2 of the three papers I set as the main goal for this research project.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
I am working on the third paper, which focuses entirely on Japanese politics. The project combines data on Japanese legislators and the general public. I examine support for same-sex marriage among Japanese politicians and voters. The paper offers insights into the changing values and norms in Japan and allows me to compare trends in public opinion on New Politics issues with what observed in Western European countries. Initially, I planned to conduct my own surveys in multiple countries, including Japan, Italy, Germany and France. Time and economic constraints led me to reconsider the plan and use existing data to address research questions set in my initial plan. I expect to complete the paper by the end of 2024 fiscal year and to submit it to an international journal.
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| Causes of Carryover |
In the next fiscal year, I will complete the third paper on Japanese politics. Most expenses will be on editing services and travel costs for academic conferences. I am also considering submitting the paper to the Japanese Journal of Political Science (Cambridge University Press) and, in case my paper is accepted, I will conver the fees for open access publication.
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