Author: Yusaku Horiuchi
Publisher:
Published: 2005
Total Pages: 147
ISBN-13: 9780203671078
DOWNLOAD EBOOKAmerican and European political scientists have claimed that subnational elections almost always record lower voter turnout than national elections. In Japan, however, municipal elections often record considerably higher turnout than national elections, particularly in small towns and villages. Institutions, Incentives and Electoral Participation in Japan theoretically and empirically explores this puzzling 'turnout twist' phenomenon in Japan from comparative perspectives. Based on the rational-choice approach, the book hypothesizes that relative voter turnout in subnational vs. national elections is determined by the relative magnitudes of how much is at stake ('election significance') and how much votes count ('vote significance') in these elections. Using a wealth of new data, the author shows the explanatory power of the hypothesis, and concludes that the counter-intuitive 'turnout twist' in Japan is a result of Japanese citizens responding to incentives produced by institutions. No matter how traditional a society is, incentives always affect behavior.
Book Synopsis Institutions, Incentives and Electoral Participation in Japan by : Yusaku Horiuchi
Download or read book Institutions, Incentives and Electoral Participation in Japan written by Yusaku Horiuchi and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 147 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: American and European political scientists have claimed that subnational elections almost always record lower voter turnout than national elections. In Japan, however, municipal elections often record considerably higher turnout than national elections, particularly in small towns and villages. Institutions, Incentives and Electoral Participation in Japan theoretically and empirically explores this puzzling 'turnout twist' phenomenon in Japan from comparative perspectives. Based on the rational-choice approach, the book hypothesizes that relative voter turnout in subnational vs. national elections is determined by the relative magnitudes of how much is at stake ('election significance') and how much votes count ('vote significance') in these elections. Using a wealth of new data, the author shows the explanatory power of the hypothesis, and concludes that the counter-intuitive 'turnout twist' in Japan is a result of Japanese citizens responding to incentives produced by institutions. No matter how traditional a society is, incentives always affect behavior.