Elections, parties, democracy : conferring the median mandate / Michael D. McDonald and Ian Budge.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [243]-252) and index.

Choosing governments or identifying preferences? : the role of elections in democracy -- Mandate theories : government and median -- Communicating preferences : the public policy space -- Research questions for comparative investigation -- Choices parties offer -- Mandates without obvious majorities? -- Representing the median voter -- Who controls short-term policymaking? -- From declared to actual policy : short-term influences on government policies -- Long-term policy regimes : incrementalism put in context -- Fluctuating political forces -- Politics and policy regimes : setting a long-term equilibrium -- Unifying theories of democracy through the median mandate.