We show how choice of the method of measuring the party positions impacts the conclusions about equilibrium positions of parties in a spatial model. We find that for the same set of voters’ ideal points we should observe either divergence or convergence to the mean, depending on the choice of...

This discussion paper led to a publication in the 'European Journal of Political Economics', 2004, 20, 255-262.<P> In the literature on electoral politics full convergence of policy platforms is usually regarded as socially optimal. Thereason is that risk-averse voters prefer a sure...</p>