Tag: voting
Why voters do not (always) punish government parties for corruption
Fighting corruption is a vital aspect of good governance. Yet, it is also a highly persistent phenomenon, indicating that tackling corruption is not always at the top of incumbent’s agenda. One way to solve this problem is to engage in corruption performance voting; that is, to use elections to punish incumbents for high levels of […]
Electing the London Mayor and Police Commissioners in England and Wales: How to use your two votes well
British voters are used to having just one vote. But on 5 May this year a record number of voters in England and Wales will be using a two–vote electoral system to choose the London Mayor and Police Commissioners across the country, many for the first time. Wherever you stand politically, Professor Patrick Dunleavy explains […]
In Scotland, Wales and the London Assembly elections every voter has TWO choices tomorrow. Here’s how to use both votes well
Voters are used to a two-vote electoral system for the Edinburgh Parliament, and the Assemblies in Cardiff and London. But how these systems operate changes a bit every time, with changing party fortunes. And this year some politicians (especially in Scotland) are advising voters to do things that may ‘waste’ one of their votes. Wherever […]
The UK scores worst in electoral integrity in Western Europe. Here’s why:
The UK performs poorly when it comes to issues of electoral integrity, lagging behind European neighbours but does particularly poorly when compared with Scandinavia – which as is the case in many fields outperforms Britain. Here, Pippa Norris looks at the reasons why, pointing to voter registration procedures, electoral laws, media coverage, constituency boundaries, and the […]
Improving verbal learning in schools can increase political engagement and encourage voting later in life
Can education policymakers close achievements gaps in core subjects, and at the same time improve civic education and participation? In new research, Meghan Condon argues that they can; students who gain greater verbal skills in school, and who then do better academically, are also more likely to vote and volunteer as adults. She argues that […]
Experiments and eligibility cutoffs show that voting is habit-forming
Past research has found a correlation between voting and voting again in future elections, but is there a causal link? In new research which uses Get-out-the-vote and voter eligibility cutoff data from across the US, Alexander Coppock and Donald Green find that there is such a link: voting in one election increases the likelihood of […]
Any aspiration to ‘grow the electorate’ will require nurturing greater awareness of our fellow citizens’ values
Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the UK Labour party, pointed out recently that 36% of the electorate didn’t vote in the last election. He underscored the need to “grow the electorate”. New research that Bec Sanderson and Tom Crompton conducted provides insights into how this might be achieved. Similar PostsWho don’t young people vote? Self-confessed ignorance, and dislike […]
How analysing social media data can help determine whether or not people will vote.
Political scientists have been trying to understand how political campaigns affect voter turnout for decades. Now, with the rise and ubiquity of social media platforms such as Facebook, those who study political campaigns have access to a new and potentially vast data source on voters’ intentions. In new research, Jaime Settle analyses over 100 million […]
Electoral participation has an impact on political and socioeconomic inequality
The UK has just had a General Election in which inequality was a much-discussed, though hardly dominant, policy issue. But that is the relationship between voting and socioeconomic inequality? Yvette Peters argues that there is a relationship, and explains it with reference to the relationship between what she terms ‘responsiveness’. With the recent general election in the […]
Democracy is about more than just voting
Democracy is about far more than a vote, writes Matt Flinders. It is about everyday life, it is about community engagement, it is about personal confidence and belief, it is about daring to stand up and be counted and its about the art of life and living together in the twenty-first century. Democratic politics has […]
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