Who Do Parties Speak To? Introducing the PSoGA: A New Comprehensive Database of Parties’ Social Group Appeals

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Authors: Alona Olga Dolinsky, Lena Maria Huber, Will Horne
Cited by: 0
References: 15

Abstract

Abstract Which social groups do political parties appeal to? This is an important question, yet a lack of comparative data has constrained research. To address this gap, we introduce the Parties’ Social Group Appeals (PSoGA) Database, which includes two novel datasets covering 791 election manifestos from 139 parties across Austria, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom from 1970 to 2025. This article outlines the methodology for constructing and validating the datasets, demonstrates compatibility with policy-focused resources like MARPOR, and highlights key aspects. This database provides researchers with unprecedented insight into representation dynamics across space and time by documenting the groups that parties speak about and appeal to.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Social Policy and Reform Studies

Publication details

Journal / source
British Journal of Political Science
Publisher
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Volume
56
Publication date
1 January 2026
Language
EN