Research
Evaluating the strength of commitments made to swing constituencies: An analysis of the Conservatives’ decision to block Heathrow Expansion
Author:
Ben Stevenson
London School of Economics and Political Science, GB
About Ben
Master of Public Administration Candidate, Class of 2016
Abstract
This paper uses the Conservatives’ commitment to block Heathrow expansion to shed light on the role of core and swing communities in distributive politics. While previous studies have focused on the allocation of benefits, the analysis presented here assesses a geographically specific tax, namely the placement of activities that are unpopular with nearby constituencies. By studying the political conditions leading up to the 2010 general election, the essay evidences that the Conservatives’ behaviour exhibited a strong swing-voter bias. However, subsequent shifts within the political landscape bring the durability of their commitment into question, since the electoral incentives may have reverted to supporting the party’s core, pro-business ideology.
How to Cite:
Stevenson, B., 2016. Evaluating the strength of commitments made to swing constituencies: An analysis of the Conservatives’ decision to block Heathrow Expansion. The Public Sphere: Journal of Public Policy, 4(1), pp.159–173.
Published on
01 Jan 2016.
Peer Reviewed
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