David and Goliath in the Poll Booth: Group Size, Voting Power and Voter Turnout
| Autor: | Benny Geys, Claus Michelsen, Peter Bönisch |
|---|---|
| Přispěvatelé: | Applied Economics |
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2019 |
| Předmět: |
Sociology and Political Science
Gerrymandering 0211 other engineering and technologies jel:H40 02 engineering and technology Development Voter turnout power group size merger gerrymandering Power (social and political) D70 Politics D72 050602 political science & public administration Economics ddc:330 H11 jel:D70 Merger Group (mathematics) 05 social sciences Voter turnout jel:D72 021107 urban & regional planning Turnout jel:H11 Group size 0506 political science Power Absolute size Demographic economics H40 |
| Zdroj: | Local Government Studies |
| Popis: | This article analyses how the presence of a dominant group of voters within the electorate affects voter turnout. Theoretically, we argue that both the absolute size and the relative power of a dominant group influence voters' decision-making process. The former effect derives from increased free-riding incentives and reduced social pressure to vote within a larger dominant group, while the latter effect is driven by instrumental and expressive responses-in both the dominant and dominated groups-to electoral competition between groups. Our empirical analysis of a large cross-section of German municipalities confirms this joint importance of a dominant group's absolute and relative size for voter turnout. Such effects should thus be taken into account when redesigning electoral jurisdictions through, for instance, municipal mergers or gerrymandering. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
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