Party leader survival rate and succession

What is it about?

This research examines what determines how long a party leader will remain in office. By focusing on various political, economic, and international settings, this study finds that voters “benchmark” their expectation of a current party leader’s performance by comparing it against their memory of that leader’s immediate predecessor.

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Photo by Joshua Sukoff on Unsplash

Photo by Joshua Sukoff on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Not only does the research show voter behavior in referring back to predecessors, it also demonstrates that predecessors with long-serving party experience and/or other head of government experience are hard acts to follow.