Solidarity or Egoism?: The Economics of Sociotropic & Egocentric Influences on Political Behaviour – Denmark in International & Theoretical Perspective

This work evaluates recent research on the importance of voters’ conceptions of the nation’s economic interest (sociotropic orientation) as opposed to personal economic interest (egocentric orientation) for explaining Danish political behaviour. The Danish evidence is reviewed in both theoretical and international perspective. Following an introductory chapter, chapter two reviews recent research in Denmark. Chapter three gives an exposition of the pure theory of political choice, and develops its implications for assessing the magnitudes of sociotropic and egocentric political motivation and the stability of bloc voting, in Denmark, as well as Scandivania generally. Chapters four and seven derive some standard results from the econometrics of measurement specification error and apply the lessons indicated to the conclusions drawn in earlier work about egocentric and sociotropic inspiration of political behaviour in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and elsewhere. The last chapters describe the latest international research methods and results, and develop their implications for the interpretation and likely future orientation of research in Denmark.