Do elections still matter? Testing the link between campaign priorities and government policy in Western Europe

Many people believe that all political parties are likely to implement much the same policies once elected, despite the varied promises they make during election campaigns. But how accurate is this belief that elections no longer matter? Using data from five West European countries, Emiliano Grossman and Isabelle Guinaudeau demonstrate that campaign priorities remain a major influence on policy agendas following an election. Yet they also find evidence that policy agendas are not rooted in partisanship, but instead reflect a shared agenda-setting process that extends across the full party system.