Accountability

The Nuffield Politics Research Centre conducts research into political accountability for a range of policy outcomes, with a focus on understanding major problems of accountability in political systems. Accountability relates to the way politicians are rewarded or punished for their actions and for policy outcomes at the ballot box.

We have four current streams of research in this area:

• Understanding the political consequences of financial hardship among family members, for policy attitudes and electoral choice.
• Understanding how wealth and economic security offer a cushion to people, making them less risk-averse.
• Examining the economic basis to political choice in Britain and how it relates to new patterns of attitudes and electoral behaviour.
• Understanding people's perceptions of local economic decline.