Political Participation Trends in Contemporary Democracies

Abstract

Economic development, inequality, institutional design, cultural patterns, or historical trajectories are some key characteristics that account for variation among contemporary democracies. The current panel aims to investigate how these structural and institutional factors affect who and how participates in politics. The objective is to unearth and/or explain some of the long-lasting differences in the functioning of the political demand. This may also include the study of how the aforementioned factors condition conjectural variation (i.e. citizens’ reaction to rather short-term stimuli such as party competition or economic performance). How do political participation patterns differ between poor and rich polities? What are the long-term effects of major economic shocks or regime change? What is the impact of different types of religious faith? Why some types of political action are preferred in some countries and/or by some citizens? What explains the variation in the level of participation among countries, regions or social groups? Are citizens more active and/or more responsive to mobilization in established democracies? Does the existence of multiple electoral arenas (i.e. multiple official channels for indicating one’s preferences) favor or dampen non-electoral political engagement? What are the causal mechanisms that link the macro-level structural factors on the one hand, and the individual decision to get engaged on the other? Answering these – sometimes classic – research questions (cf. Barnes, Kaase et al. 1979) with innovative theories, contemporary research design and rich data will shed light on the major trends in political behavior. Among other things, it will allow for a better understanding of the diversity of how the democratic ideal of political participation is (or is not) realized.

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