Constituency campaigning : a review of the literature and a case study of Ottawa Centre, 1997

Marland, Alexander J. (1998) Constituency campaigning : a review of the literature and a case study of Ottawa Centre, 1997. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

This study assesses the effectiveness of traditional campaign activities known as constituency campaigning. It comprises a comprehensive review of the literature and a single-district case study. -- The literature review incorporates scientific conclusions with an assessment of practitioners' beliefs. Because few examinations of constituency campaigning have been conducted in Canada, conclusions are also drawn from British and American research. The investigation considers the effects of traditional activities such as canvassing and literature distribution, while investigating variables such as incumbency, personal voting, marginal contests, and technological innovations. The section is organized as a series of propositions, which are diversely supported by evidence in the literature. -- The case study includes a descriptive overview of the 1997 federal election contest in Ottawa Centre, and four waves of structured interviews with a representative panel of voters. This is supplemented by qualitative data collected from the panel, candidate interviews, and an assessment of candidate returns. The analysis concludes that although local newspapers indicated an intense constituency contest, local issues were not significant in determining voter choice. Local campaign effort also had little demonstrable effect, and the least active campaign was most rational from a cost-benefit standpoint. -- However, Ottawa Centre was not a close contest. The final chapter argues that local campaign efforts were likely to be more rational in marginal districts across the country in 1997 and other elections.

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