Voter Turnout and the Dynamics of Electoral Competition in Established Democracies since 1945
Michael Marsh author Diana Evans author Cees van der EijK author Mark N Franklin author Michael Fotos author Wolfgang Hirczy de Mino author Bernard Wessels author
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Cambridge University Press
Published:19th Apr '04
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
This paperback is available in another edition too:
- Hardback£75.00(9780521833646)
This book shows how voter turnout is an indicator of the health of a democracy.
Voting is a habit. People learn the habit of voting, or not, based on experience in their first few elections. This book shows how voter turnout can serve as an indicator of the health of a democracy.Voting is a habit. People learn the habit of voting, or not, based on experience in their first few elections. Elections that do not stimulate high turnout among young adults leave a 'footprint' of low turnout in the age structure of the electorate as many individuals who were new at those elections fail to vote at subsequent elections. Elections that stimulate high turnout leave a high turnout footprint. So a country's turnout history provides a baseline for current turnout that is largely set, except for young adults. This baseline shifts as older generations leave the electorate and as changes in political and institutional circumstances affect the turnout of new generations. Among the changes that have affected turnout in recent years, the lowering of the voting age in most established democracies has been particularly important in creating a low turnout footprint that has grown with each election.
"This remarkable book repays attention from scholars and policymakers alike. It builds on two or more generations of careful scholarship, but literally takes that work to another level--in this case, another level of analysis." - Richard Johnston, University of Pennsylvania
ISBN: 9780521541473
Dimensions: 226mm x 151mm x 19mm
Weight: 398g
294 pages