The Social Dynamics of Turnout

Abstract

In recent years, researchers have revisited the effect of socialization processes and social networks in studies of political behavior, building on early work from the Columbia school which highlighted the role of social influences on electoral behavior). A significant body of research has shown that both the household and the neighborhood are sources of contextual influences on voting. Contextual voting theories hold that people follow similar patterns of political behavior when they live in close proximity, interact, share day-to-day experiences, and belong to the same social networks. These theories are now being applied more specifically to models of electoral participation. Scholars have also begun to explore the individual level dynamics of turnout, examining the role of habit and life cycle effects. Research is now beginning to explore the interaction of these social and micro level dynamical processes, and their implications for macro changes in turnout. This panel aims to bring together some of the best of that research.

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