The Pledge Puzzle

Abstract

Everyone knows a promise is a promise. It is hard to imagine any serious relationship that would go unaffected if promises were broken. This book deals with promises of a controversial kind, namely those that political representatives give to citizens before elections: election promises. The focus is what seems to be a puzzling difference of opinion between scholars and ordinary citizens concerning whether or not politicians actually keep their promises. While research presents an image of political parties acting on most of their election promises, citizens are presumed to hold the opposite view — that parties usually break their promises. Because election promises are central to representative democratic theory and practice, this divergence raises important questions about how good democratic representation is defined and achieved.