Score contribution per author:
α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count
In this paper, the authors investigate the effects of changes in economic conditions on the popularity of political parties in Austria. After a brief description of the Austrian political system, the authors estimate single equations and simultaneous systems of popularity functions for different parties, based on traditional theoretical foundations. Results show that some effects of economic variables on popularity exist, although they are different between different policy regimes. Traditional popularity functions nevertheless outperform models based on the assumption of voters' rational expectations, which claim that only unexpected changes in economic conditions affect political popularity. Copyright 1997 by Kluwer Academic Publishers