The moving centre: preferences for government activity in Britain, 1950-2005

J Bartle, Sebastian Dellepiane Avellaneda, J Stimson

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article

46 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The political ‘centre’ is often discussed in debates about public policy and analyses of party strategies and election outcomes. Yet, to date, there has been little effort to estimate the political centre outside the United States. This article outlines a method of estimating the political centre using public opinion data collected for the period between 1950 and 2005. It is demonstrated that it is possible to measure the centre in Britain, that it moves over time, that it shifts in response to government activity and, furthermore, that it has an observable association with general election outcomes.
LanguageEnglish
Pages259-285
Number of pages27
JournalBritish Journal of Political Science
Volume41
Issue number2
Early online date21 Dec 2010
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2011

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political center
election
public opinion
public policy

Keywords

  • public policy
  • government
  • British government
  • public opinion

Cite this

Bartle, J ; Dellepiane Avellaneda, Sebastian ; Stimson, J. / The moving centre : preferences for government activity in Britain, 1950-2005. In: British Journal of Political Science. 2011 ; Vol. 41, No. 2. pp. 259-285.
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Bartle, J, Dellepiane Avellaneda, S & Stimson, J 2011, 'The moving centre: preferences for government activity in Britain, 1950-2005' British Journal of Political Science, vol. 41, no. 2, pp. 259-285. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007123410000463

The moving centre : preferences for government activity in Britain, 1950-2005. / Bartle, J; Dellepiane Avellaneda, Sebastian; Stimson, J.

In: British Journal of Political Science, Vol. 41, No. 2, 04.2011, p. 259-285.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article

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Bartle J, Dellepiane Avellaneda S, Stimson J. The moving centre: preferences for government activity in Britain, 1950-2005. British Journal of Political Science. 2011 Apr;41(2):259-285. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007123410000463

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