ABSTRACT

Scholars have long been debating whether people tend to run in elections because they are mainly policy-oriented or whether they primarily aim to enjoy the perks of office. Despite the many formal and empirical models proposed, however, poor evidence has been provided so far as to whether and how candidates rely on any of these two motivations to explain their choice to run for a party. In light of this gap, this chapter aims to test whether and under what conditions different types of considerations play a motivating role in candidates’ reasoning. The analyses, based on regression models applied to Comparative Candidates Survey data reshaped in the so-called stacked form, show that both policy and office-related ambitions have a say in the candidates’ decisions. Moving on to contextual factors, both parties’ ideological profiles and country-level dynamics of party competition appear to have an effect on how strongly candidates are moved by specific motives.