ABSTRACT
Established political parties can engage in a range of behaviours to attempt to improve or maintain their position within their national party systems. In line with rational choice assumptions, political parties seek to maximise their utility. According to Katz (2002) and Downs (1957), parties can attempt to do this by engaging in strategies that are responsive to voters' existing preferences, but equally by seeking to mould their views before election time. This chapter explores the electorate-orientated strategies that established parties might engage in, and assesses the extent to which established parties engage in strategies that are responsive and open towards the electorate. A number of different strategy dimensions can indicate responsiveness towards the electorate, and intent to shape the views of the electorate. As established parties are primarily officeseeking, the focus will be on strategies that pertain to the ways in which parties can respond to, or shape voter preferences, through the coalitions in which they choose to engage. 1
