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Turnout in the Congested and Contested Political Arena

Elections
European Union
Political Participation
Political Psychology
Populism
Voting
Political Sociology
P453

Building: Faculty of Arts, Floor: 2, Room: FA200

Saturday 14:00 - 15:40 CEST (10/09/2016)

Abstract

Turnout levels are quite different in Europe and at its various levels of governance. However, the overall trend and the general story which has been told by participation researchers again and again is one of a gradual decline. In line with the theme of the entire section one of the main reasons for low and declining participation rates might be the complexity of the European system of multi-level governance. It is unclear for many voters who is responsible for specific decisions. At the same time, the large number of institutions and organized interest groups which are involved in decision-making processes make it difficult to come up with simple and clear political solutions which are easily understood by the electorate. Newly rising (populist) parties and movements might offer “easy” solutions many voters are looking for. With respect to turnout the success of these parties might have the following implications: 1) Rising levels of political polarization and the growth of populist parties or movements might actually mobilize disengaged voters. New political alternatives might represent policy positions which have not been adequately represented previously and thus could increase the incentive to vote. 2) However, large-scale withdrawal from politics could be another consequence, particularly for voters with a low sense of political efficacy. In addition, populist parties usually are not able to fulfil their promises once they have come into power. Accordingly, levels of dissatisfaction and disenchantment could rise, while turnout might decline further. Since this list of implications is far from being complete, this panel welcomes papers on the general relationship between the success of populist parties and individual-level or aggregate-level turnout. In addition, the panel is also open for other issues, among them, e.g., - comparative analyses or analyses that cover different levels of governance, - the importance of changes in party programs or the party system in general for turnout, - and the relationship between turnout and other modes of political participation

Title Details
Economic Hardships and Political Engagement: A Multilevel Analysis View Paper Details
Channelling Discontent? Non-voters, Populist Party Voters, and their Affective Political Agency View Paper Details
Childhood Social Class, Intergenerational Mobility and Voting View Paper Details
To vote Eurosceptic or not to vote at all? Understanding the electoral behavior of Eurosceptic citizens in times of crisis View Paper Details
Polarization on policies and electoral turnout View Paper Details