WELFARE AND THE VOTE: SOCIAL POLICIES ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

Welfare proposals are one of the mainstays of electoral competition. But to what extent do social policies – from healthcare to benefits, from pensions to family support – influence voters’ preferences? A discussion on the link between party platforms and voting behaviour. The dialogue will address the role of redistributive promises in building consensus, parties’ ability to respond to social needs and the weight of individual expectations in political choices. In the background, one question: is welfare still a terrain of ideological differentiation?