Purpose of the course is to investigate the electoral behavior and parameters determining it. The course seeks both theoretical and empirical investigation of elections and electoral behavior, starting from the theoretical models proposed from the ’40s to today in the U.S. and Europe.
The course is structured into thirteen major topics and courses:

1. The electoral geography, ecological models and the “human geography” of Siegfried.
2 . The School of Columbia and the initiation of quantitative surveys.
3. The School of Michigan and the theory of “party identification”
4. The School of Rational Choice. The “consumption model” in electoral behavior.
5. Sociological model and Rational choice model and the European reality. The theory of political cleavages.
6. The “heavy” variables in electoral behavior: Religion and class.
7. The class voting and measurement methods in electoral research: Alford’s Index, Consistency Index.
8. The social class in electoral analysis.
9. The case of the “economic voting”.
10.The “issue voting”.
11. Electoral Behavior and the theory of the “political party”.
12. The scales of political behavior and attitudes of the parties in these
13. The Political Communication in the electoral analysis.

Upon completion of the course the students:
a) know the basic theoretical approaches to electoral analysis
b) borounna apply theoretical models to empirical applications,
c) better understand the theory of political parties and political representation
d) analyze electoral behavior
e) interpret the environment of political competition

Student must produce an assignment which counts for 30% of the final grade in order to pass the lesson and afterwards thay have to take written exams which count for 70% of their final grade.

Course Bibliography (Eudoxus)
Βερναρδάκης, Χρ. (2023): Πολιτικά Κόμματα, Εκλογές και Κομματικό Σύστημα – Οι μετασχηματισμοί της πολιτικής αντιπροσώπευσης 1990-2010, Επίμετρο: 2011-2023, Β’Εκδοση, Εκδ. Σάκκουλα, Αθήνα-Θεσσαλονίκη
Βούλγαρης, Γ. – Νικολακόπουλος Η. (επιμ.) (2014): 2012 – Ο διπλός Εκλογικός σεισμός, εκδ. Θεμέλιο, Αθήνα
Mayer, N. κ.ά. (2005): Εκλογική Συμπεριφορά, Ιστορικές διαδρομές και μοντέλα ανάλυσης, εκδ. Σαββάλας, Αθήνα.

Additional bibliography for study
Alford, R.R. (1962). “A Suggested Index of the Association of Social Class and Voting”. Στο Public Opinion Quarterly, 26, 417-425.
Alford, R.R. (1967). “Class voting in the Anglo-American political systems”. Στο Lipset S.M. – Rokkan S. (eds) Party System and voters alignments, New York: Free Press, 67-93.
Blais, A. – Gidengil, El. – Nadeau, R. – Nevitte, N. (2001). «Measuring party identification: Britain, Canada and the United States». Στο Political Behavior, 1, volume 23, 5-21.

Budge, I., Crewe, I. και Farlie, D. (επιμ.) (1976). Party Identification and Beyond. New York: John Wiley.
Butler, D. και Stokes, D. (1974). Political Change in Britain, London: MacMillan.
Campbell, A., Converse, P. E., Miller, W. E., και Stokes, D. (1960). The American Voter. New York: Wiley.
Campbell, A., Gurin, G., και Miller, W. E. (1954). The Voter Decides. Evanston: Row Peterson.
Converse, P. E., και Pierce, R. (1985). ‘Measuring Partisanship’. Political Methodology 11.
Fiorina, M., P. (1981). Retrospective Voting in American National Elections. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press.
Franklin, M. N. (1985). The Decline of Class Voting in Britain. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Grunberg, G. & Schweisguth, E. (1990). «Libéralisme culturel et libéralisme économique». Στο CEVIPOF, Boy, D. & Mayer, N. (dir.), L’électeur français en questions, Paris: Presses de FNSP.
Grunberg, G. & Schweisguth, E. (1997). «Recompositions idéologiques». Στο Boy, D. & Mayer, N. (dir.), L’électeur a ses raisons, Paris: Presses de FNSP.
Harrop, Μ. και Miller, W. L. (1987). Elections and Voters: A Comparative Introduction. London: MacMillan.
Inglehart, R. (1977). The Silent Revolution. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press.
Inglehart, R. (1990). Culture Shift in Advanced Industrial Society. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press.