Welcome to the website of the project “When does Government listen to the Public?” (GovLis). Our project aims at extending our existing knowledge of political responsiveness. Whether government policy is responsive to citizen preferences is a central concern in democracies.

Rather than asking “whether” government listens to the public the project is interested in “when” this happens. We explore how a) interest groups, b) differences in the character of the debated policies/issues and c) institutional differences between countries affect whether public opinion is translated into policy. In this way, the project links data on interest groups, public opinion and decision-making on specific issues. In addition to “effective responsiveness”, we also take an interest in “rhetorical responsiveness” and examine how voluntary associations may affect whether the public’s public issue priorities make it on to the political agenda.

The following pages contain more information about the project, its team and research. They also provide regular project updates and news.