Cited by 689Electoral Systems and Political ParticipationPolitical Theory and DemocracyGame Theory and Voting Systems

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Retrospective Voting Reconsidered

Healy, Andrew, Malhotra, Neil·2013·Annual Review of Political Science

DOI 10.1146/annurev-polisci-032211-212920

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Abstract

We review advances in the study of retrospective voting, or how citizens evaluate and act on their perceptions of government performance. As a whole, the recent literature provides a more complete and nuanced picture of the retrospective voter as sometimes, but not always, effectively incentivizing elected officials to enhance public welfare. Leveraging examples of retrospective voting in areas other than the economy, the field is heading toward a middle ground in which voters resemble decision makers in many other domains. In many cases, a coherent logic governs voters' choices. In other instances, voters make mistakes, often in predictable ways subject to well-known psychological biases. Understanding the circumstances under which retrospective voting achieves effective democratic accountability and when it fails to do so is an important task for subsequent research. We discuss two additional issues for future exploration: a better understanding of normative benchmarks, and increased attention to the relationship between retrospective voting behavior and policy outcomes.

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Authors: Healy, A., & Malhotra, N.
Affiliations: Loyola Marymount University (US)
Stanford University (US)
ORCID: Malhotra, Neil
Venue: Annual Review of Political Science
Publisher: Annual Reviews
Published: 2013-05-11
Volume: 16
Issue: 1
Pages: 285-306
ISSN: 1094-2939 (ISSN-L)
1545-1577
DOI: 10.1146/annurev-polisci-032211-212920
OpenAlex: W2170291011
Cited by: 667
References: 147
Citations by year: 2026: 47 · 2025: 75 · 2024: 75 · 2023: 83 · 2022: 58 · 2021: 57 · 2020: 49 · 2019: 75 · 2018: 56 · 2017: 25 · 2016: 25 · 2015: 26 · 2014: 14 · 2013: 1
FWCI: 54.94
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Locations: Annual Review of Political Science (publishedVersion)
Topics: Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Electoral Systems and Political Participation
Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Political Theory and Democracy
Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Game Theory and Voting Systems
Keywords: retrospective voting, government performance perceptions, democratic accountability, voting behavior, psychological biases, normative benchmarks, policy outcomes, economic voting, political decision-making

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Retrospective Voting Reconsidered

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