FPTP “It is not the economy stupid!”

Given the dealignment of the electorate in many democracies, more emphasis has been placed upon the economy as a key determinant of voting behaviour. Labour lost in 2010 in the UK as did the PSOE in Spain, largely due to a failing economy after the “credit crunch” induced recession in those countries. In Australia however the incumbent Labor government was ousted from office despite an economy that boasts 22 consecutive years of economic growth and a forecast of 2.6% growth for this year. Bill Clinton campaigned on the theme of “It’s the economy stupid” in 1992 to defeat the then President G.H. Bush, yet it would seem too narrow a focus on a single factor cannot explain the outcome of elections.

This article appeared in a recent edition of First Past The Post - tutor2u's digital magazine for A Level Politics students and teachers. Subscribers to FPTP are able to download and distribute hi-res pdfs of each article and also access the archive of over 500 articles for A Level Govt & Politics