Incumbent performance and electoral control

摘要: In the pure theory of electoral competition, citizens compare platforms candidates and vote for one whose platform is preferred. Candidate strategies are identified with promises about future performance in office. Models this sort have been developed both static [McKelvey (1975)] dynamic [Kramer (1977)I settings, all appear to property that if set alternatives "large enough" some sense, equilibrium rarely exist. But these models another feature quite as disturbing their instability. setting discussed by McKelvey, little attention paid possibility that, once office, politician's preferences may diverge from those his constituents he therefore choose policies at variance platform. Instead it simply assumed will be kept whether or not such behavior congruent interest officeholder. It sometimes argued an "enforcement" mechanism exist discipline politicians failing keep promises, but without a specification obvious would interests