Electoral change
The bulk of my scholarly work has focused on the comparative analysis of elections, public opinion, and voting behavior. The question underlying all this research has been how dealignment and a new media environment are challenging existing theories and models of electoral behavior, with an explicit focus on the implications for the functioning of representative democracy.
A core analytical focus has been the personalization of politics—its structural causes, and its effects on voter behavior in established democracies worldwide. In my published work, I have shown how the erosion of traditional social cleavages, and the resulting transformation of political parties, have reshaped our understanding of vote choices: from reflecting largely long-term social and ideological identities to proceeding from individual attitudes toward short-term features of the political competition and—in primis—political leaders. See, in particular:
- Garzia, D., Ferreira da Silva, F., & De Angelis, A. (2021). Leaders without Partisans. Dealignment, Media Change, and the Personalization of Politics. London: Rowman & Littlefield.
- Garzia, D., Ferreira da Silva, F., & De Angelis, A. (2022). Partisan Dealignment and the Personalisation of Politics in West European Parliamentary Democracies, 1961-2018. West European Politics, 45(2), 311–334.
Voting Advice Applications
I have worked extensively on internet-based Voting Advice Applications (VAAs) and actively contributed to the shaping of this research field within political science.
I have investigated the impact of VAA-usage on unequal patterns of political behavior using a combination of survey data and experimental designs. I showed that VAAs provide relevant information, increase knowledge and foster electoral participation, especially among groups that are more prone to electoral abstention. I have also contributed to establishing the validity of VAA-generated party positions alongside alternative measurement strategies such as expert surveys and manifesto data. See, in particular:
- Garzia, D., Trechsel, A. H., & De Angelis, A. (2017). Voting Advice Applications and Electoral Participation: A Multi-Method Study. Political Communication, 34(3), 424–443.
- Ferreira da Silva, F., Reiljan, A., Cicchi, L., Trechsel, A. H., & Garzia, D. (2023). Three sides of the same coin? Comparing party positions in VAAs, expert surveys and manifesto data. Journal of European Public Policy, 30(1), 150-173.
Negative politics
In the latest years, I developed and worked intensively on a research agenda at the intersection between personalization and polarization research. My comparative research has contributed to situating current levels of affective polarization over time and across political contexts. I have also co-developed the notion of “leader affective polarization”, providing an important contribution to the theoretical development of affective polarization as a multifaceted concept. See, in particular:
- Garzia, D., Ferreira da Silva, F. & Maye, S. (2023). Affective Polarization in Comparative and Longitudinal Perspective. Public Opinion Quarterly, 87(1), 219-231.
- Reiljan, A., Garzia, D., Ferreira da Silva, F. & Trechsel, A. (2023). Patterns of Affective Polarization in the Democratic World: Comparing the Polarized Feelings towards Parties and Leaders. American Political Science Review, 118(2), 654-670.
My latest book focuses on the downstream consequences of affective polarization in terms of voting behavior, as well as the possible democratic implications of this process. To this purpose, the book analyzes comparatively the determinants of “negative voting” (i.e., the tendency among a growing amount of citizens to cast their vote “against” rather than “for” a party/candidate). See:
- Garzia, D. & Ferreira da Silva, F. (2024). Negative Voting in Comparative Perspective. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan
