Prerequisites for accountability and political efficacy

The literature offers two strategies for voters to apply when voting in elections: delegation and accountability. Most electoral research indicates that voters are becoming more volatile and parties more alike, which makes delegation a difficult task. But if voters are becoming more interested in the second strategy – ex post controls – it appears other institutional characteristics are likely to be desirable. This study looks at how the political context of elections affects voters’ view of governmental responsiveness. More specifically focus is put on the two concepts “clarity of responsibility” and “clarity of available alternatives” that are likely to of importance if voters are to be able assign responsibility in an effective manner. It appears logic that voters may have a more pessimistic view of their possibilities to influence politics and the importance of voting – what is generally known as external efficacy – in contexts where power distribution is blurred and no obvious alternatives to take stand for are offered before the election. Results, however, indicate the opposite.