Introduction

Abstract This chapter introduces the research puzzle guiding the book as a whole, namely the fact that liberal parties have not benefited from their favourable ‘market cosmopolitan’ ideological positioning. It sets out the arguments motivating, and subsequently explaining, this puzzle. It also discusses the contributions the book makes to research on electoral politics by identifying circumstances under which voters may deviate from a spatial voting logic and exploring the implications of such behaviour Additionally, it sets out the book’s contribution to the literature on the liberal ideological tradition by highlighting the potential of a distinctively liberal policy agenda gaining popular support. It then provides a chapter-by-chapter overview of the book, briefly outlining the theory, analyses, and findings presented. The chapter concludes with a discussion of certain methodological decisions taken in the book, namely the geographical scope, the criteria for identifying liberal parties, and the terminology used to refer to different ideological groupings of voters.