Uncertainty and the logic of imperfect ideological integration
Uncertainty and the logic of imperfect ideological integration

Summary/Abstract: In this paper I provide an argument supporting Downs’s defense of political party attempts to construct weakly integrated ideologies, i.e. supporting certain policies which contradict the assumed ideological mainstream. In this respect I employ a simplified version of the Davis-Hinich-Ordeshook proximity model in order to identify the voting mechanisms of individuals which analyze party policies as part of their electoral decision-making process. I conclude that although the main reason for occasional policy defections from the conventional ideological program is the fact that voters attach different weights to each policy dimension, uncertainty is in its turn a key factor in this respect.

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