Economics, politics, and the cost of ruling in advanced industrial democracies: How much does context matter?

Political reality does not necessarily match this ideal of democratic accountability. This ideal requires that voters recognize the relevant policy outcomes and then accurately attribute policy-making responsibility for them. Failure to meet these requirements would undermine the electoral incentives that governments have to pursue the public's policy goals. If voters persistently fail to recognize the relevant policy outcomes, they might punish or reward the incumbent at the polls for erroneous policy outcomes. Or if they identify the correct policy outcomes but misperceive who is most responsible for them, they might apply the electoral "reins" inappropriately.