Why do national parties compete in local elections? Some claim that they do so in order to maintain a cadre of local activists who will mobilize local voters during national elections. However, this practice yields policy commitments to local activists, which in turn might deter voters elsewhere...

type="main" <p>This article studies the factors that affect the likelihood of radical policy changes. Radical policy changes are defined here as acts in which political leaders choose a policy that is contradictory to policies they have committed to during elections and on whose basis they have...</p>