Rational

• Rational choice model - recognises that most voters are not strong identifiers + have no real connection with the political parties.
• Key terms:

  • rational actors: decision-makers attempting to maximise their utility in a given situation, consisting cost + benefits
  • self-interest: the motivation to maximise personal benefit, which drives rational acotrs
  • utility: the perceived satisfaction or happiness derived from a choice
• Key assumptions made by Rational Choice Theory:

  • rational actors have a clear understanding of their preferences
  • preferences are complete + transitive
  • rational actors can rank alternatives considering costs + benefits
  • they will always select the option that maximises utility
• Riker + Ordershook (1968) - Rational Choice Model of Turnout

  U = P (B) - C + D

  U -> utility of voting

  P (B) -> stands for the probability that one’s vote will be decisive in determining the outcome

  C -> represents costs of voting e.f time, effort

  D -> denotes the voter’s sense of civic duty or satisfaction from voting
• Criticisms:

  1. excessive focus on individualism
  2. simplistic assumptions about rationality
  3. difficult in empirical testing
  4. difficulty in empirical testing
• Key factors influencing voting behaviour:

  • political ideology
  • economic fatcors
  • party identification + party loyalty
  • personal traits
  • issues salience + campaign messages
• Downsian model of voting behaviour -> voters choose the candidate or policy that best aligns with their ideological preferences, making an effort to minimise the distance between their positions
• Rational Choice Models:

  1. Downsian Model of voting behaviour
  2. Riker + Ordeshook’s model of voter turnout
  3. Bicameralism + agenda-setting models
  4. Coalition formation frameworks
  5. Principal-agent models
• Institutional analysis with Rational Choice Theory:

  • understanding the influence of institutional rules on political behaviour
  • analysing the rational interest + alignment of different political factors within an institution
  • exploring the formation of institutional structures + their impact on decision-making capabilties
  • studying the role of institutions in providing incentives or constraints that shape strategic choices