Voter turnout and the dynamics of electoral competition in established democracies since 1945 / Mark N. Franklin ; with assistance from Cees van der Eijk [and five others].

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Franklin, Mark N., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Voter turnout--History--20th century.

Voter turnout.

Political participation--History--20th century.

Political participation.

Democracy--History--20th century.

Democracy.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xv, 277 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Other Title:

Voter Turnout & the Dynamics of Electoral Competition in Established Democracies since 1945

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2004.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

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.

Contents:

Cover; Half-title; Title; Copyright; Dedication; Contents; Figures; Tables; Preface; The Authors; Introduction; 1 Confronting the Puzzles of Voter Turnout; 2 A New Approach to the Calculus of Voting; 3 The Role of Generational Replacement in Turnout Change; 4 Rational Responses to Electoral Competition; 5 Explaining Turnout Change in Twenty-Two Countries; 6 The Character of Elections and the Individual Citizen; 7 Understanding Turnout Decline; 8 The Turnout Puzzles Revisited; appendix a The Surveys Employed in This Book; appendix b Aggregate Data for Established Democracies, 1945-1999

appendix c Supplementary FindingsBibliography; Author Index; Subject Index

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Includes bibliographical references (p. 251-262) and indexes.

ISBN:

1-107-14927-4

1-280-54083-4

0-511-21398-0

0-511-21577-0

0-511-21040-X

0-511-31482-5

0-511-61688-0

0-511-21217-8

OCLC:

191035820