Beyond preconceptions: Analyzing the role of political party branding and psychological factors in voter decision-making within developing multi-party contexts
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How to Cite

KALPEN, D. J. (2025). Beyond preconceptions: Analyzing the role of political party branding and psychological factors in voter decision-making within developing multi-party contexts. Journal of Economic and Social Thought, 12(1), 36–53. Retrieved from https://journals.econsciences.com/index.php/JEST/article/view/2606

Abstract

The case study revolves around discussions by a group of students of a popular university in a cafeteria. State elections in Uttar Pradesh had just finished and students were wondering as to how the election results were against their pre-conceived notions. They were discussing about the reasons as to why they voted for their preferred political party as first-time voters. Overall, this case study purports to assess the impact of political parties’ branding on voters’ decision-making. The case study seeks to raise three concerns: how does political parties’ branding influence voters’ decision-making? what are the key factors which influence a voter in decision-making process?, and why is psychology so different in a multi-party system in developing economies’ contexts? A consumer-oriented approach is developed for assessing the impact of political parties’ branding on voters’ decision-making. It is concluded that voters’ decision-making is influenced by the political parties’ branding initiatives.

Keywords. Political parties’ branding; Political marketing; Voters perception.

JEL. P16, D72, D73.

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