Furthermore, if this relationship is indeed causal, what is the specific mechanism that leads political expectations to moderate responsibility judgments? Our research experimentally study the causal effect of partisan congruence between political actors and of policies on the level of responsibility attributed in Germany and Israel, in two time points for each country (4 experiments).[1]This experimental project explores a series of hypothetical mechanisms that may account for this relationship. The findings of this study are expected to contribute to our understanding of an often unavoidable tension between democratic accountability and the need of elected officials to adopt unpopular policies.
Co-author: Prof. dr. Reimut Zohlnhöfer, Department of Political Science, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg
[1] The first two experiments (one in each country) are expected to be completed by June 2013.
