Dommett, K. orcid.org/0000-0003-0624-6610 and Temple, L. orcid.org/0000-0002-2605-2285 (2020) The expert cure? Exploring the restorative potential of expertise for public satisfaction with parties. Political Studies, 68 (2). pp. 332-349. ISSN 0032-3217
Abstract
The declining legitimacy of political parties has become something of a truism in political science discourse. Less often reflected upon is how these legitimacy problems could potentially be resolved. This article contributes to this underexplored issue by examining the restorative potential of expertise as a supplement to intra-party democracy. Building on an established literature on Stealth Democracy, we explore the potential for expert-inspired reforms to boost citizens’ satisfaction with parties. Using original survey questions, we provide evidence that a perceived lack of expert engagement in parties predicts citizen dissatisfaction, before using deliberative workshop data to distil traits that define the appeal of experts and expertise. This mixed-methods approach allows us to demonstrate some common desires of which parties should be aware, but also traits that make these ideas difficult to realise. Combining these insights, we argue that while expertise has appeal, parties face considerable challenges in satisfying citizens’ desires.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2019 The Author(s). This is an author-produced version of a paper subsequently published in Political Studies. Article available under the terms of the CC-BY-NC-ND licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). |
Keywords: | Experts; technocracy; parties; public perceptions |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) > Department of Geography (Sheffield) The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) > Department of Politics and International Relations (Sheffield) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number ECONOMIC & SOCIAL RESEARCH COUNCIL ES/N01667X/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 30 May 2019 13:30 |
Last Modified: | 13 May 2021 13:33 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | SAGE Publications |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1177/0032321719844122 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:146736 |