Contradictory Calculi

Existing theories of turnout model individuals' decisions to vote as a function of the utility they would gain from their favored party's election, the costs of voting, and the intrinsic benefits associated with democratic participation. This project shows that such utility calculations are conditional on electoral rules. In electoral systems with low incentives for strategic behavior, the traditional model of voter turnout is accurate. However, in plurality systems, in which there are stronger incentives for individuals to abandon their true preferences, less importance is placed on the utility associated with the possible success of favored parties

Democracy · Demographic economics · Economics · Electoral system · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Turnout · Voter turnout · Voting · Corruption and Economic Development · Culture, Economy, and Development Studies · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Law