Voter Turnout and the Dynamics of Electoral Competition in Established Democracies since 1945 - Softcover

Franklin, Mark N.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0521541476 ISBN 13: 9780521541473

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2004

Synopsis

Demonstrating how voter turnout can serve as an indicator of the health of a democracy, this study documents the conditions that can result in low voter turnout and suggests reforms that might alleviate these conditions. Mark Franklin concludes that declining turnout does not necessarily reflect reductions in civic virtue or increases in alienation. Franklin claims that turnout falls due to cumulating effects of institutional changes, a lack of competition in elections and a decision by a large proportion of the electorate not to participate as a response to the lack of competition.

About this title

Book Description

This book shows how voter turnout can serve as an indicator of the health of a democracy. It enumerates conditions that can result in low voter turnout and suggests reforms that might alleviate these conditions. Its innovative finding is that declining turnout does not reflect reductions in civic virtue or increases in alienation. Turnout falls, when it does, because of cumulating effects of institutional changes, because elections lack competitiveness, or because a larger proportion of the electorate pays attention to this lack of competitiveness.

Review

"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

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0521541476
• ISBN 13: 9780521541473
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 277