Original scientific paper
THE CONCEPT OF “LEFT” AND “RIGHT” IN EMPIRICAL POLITICAL SCIENCE: MEANING, UNDERSTANDING, STRUCTURE, CONTENT
Goran Čular
; Faculty of Political Science, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
The notions of left and right are a fundamental semantic pattern within which voters construct their political perceptions and attitudes. Their universal meaning lies in a simple spatial approach to politics as conflict; functionally, “left” and “right” are “shortcuts” for political communication. In the empirically oriented political science, the left-right scale has become a standard variable in public opinion polls. After the initial pessimistic interpretations, in the last twenty years or so, this scale has increasingly demonstrated its validity and reliability. The sources of the left-right identification may be manifold, and not solely ideological. Also, the left-right scheme has demonstrated a remarkable potential to – in time – encompass new political contents and thus create a need for new cross-national and longitudinal studies. Voters – and not scientists – are those who define what is left and what is right.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
32070
URI
Publication date:
3.3.1999.
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