The implicit ideas behind ‘Valkompassen’ : An ideal type analysis of the democratic presuppositions in Voting Advice Applications

Abstract: With Voting Advice Applications changing how people engage in democracy it has become more important to understand the work behind them. Much research has been given to the algorithm and methodology, but less has focused on the ideas that presupposes the development process. The aim of this thesis is to examine and further our understanding of how VAA’s as part of the media repertoire affects contemporary democracy. Scholars have denoted that VAA’s neutrally transmitting information may not be as neutral as one might think. Indeed, democratic presuppositions of the developers may play a role in shaping the intent of what VAA’s intends to do. In order to explore those presuppositions this thesis has interviewed developers of Swedish ‘Valkompassen’ and their answers have been examined by employing an ideal type analysis of democratic ideals. The results indicate that the democratic presuppositions of the developers seem to be more akin to an electoral democratic ideal.