Compulsory Voting, Habit Formation, and Political Participation

Michael M. Bechtel, Dominik Hangartner and Lukas Schmid
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Michael M. Bechtel: Washington University in St. Louis and Swiss Institute for International Economics and Applied Economic Research
Dominik Hangartner: ETH Zurich and London School of Economics
Lukas Schmid: University of Lucerne and Swiss Institute for International Economics and Applied Economic Research

The Review of Economics and Statistics, 2018, vol. 100, issue 3, 467-476

Abstract: Can electoral institutions induce lasting changes in citizens’ voting habits? We study the long-term and spillover effects of compulsory voting in the Swiss canton of Vaud (1900–1970) and find that this intervention increases turnout in federal referendums by 30 percentage points. However, despite its magnitude, the effect disappears quickly after voting is no longer compulsory. We find minor spillover effects on related forms of political participation that also vanish immediately after compulsory voting has been abolished. Overall, these results question habit formation arguments in the context of compulsory voting.

Date: 2018
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