Term Limits as a Response to Incumbency Advantage

In the paper we construct a spatial model that specifies voter utility in terms of responsiveness to public policy and provide an explanation of the seeming paradox that voters who vote for the incumbent also unilaterally self-impose term limits. Our model shows that when the position of the incumbent is closer to the median voter position, it is less likely that voters will support term limits. But if the incumbent's party is more moderate, it is more likely that voters will support term limits. In addition, we argue that term limits or the threat of it will increase the responsiveness of the politicians' policy platforms