Ethnic Diversity and Political Participation: The Role of Individual Income

Giorgio Bellettini, Carlotta Berti Ceroni and Chiara Monfardini

No 6772, CESifo Working Paper Series from CESifo

Abstract: We exploit a unique dataset merging data on individual socio-economic characteristics and political participation in an Italian municipality to investigate the relationship between ethnic diversity in residential neighborhoods and individuals’ propensity to vote. We document a sizable negative impact of diversity on overall electoral turnout which reflects differential effects at the individual level, depending on household equivalent income. Specifically, we show that ethnic heterogeneity in the neighborhood reduces the political participation of the poor, while it fosters that of the more affluent. These results highlight a potential democratic deficit stemming from reduced and unequal electoral turnout in increasingly ethnically heterogeneous neighborhoods.

Keywords: ethnic heterogeneity; electoral turnout; income (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D72 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-eur, nep-mig, nep-pol, nep-soc and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Working Paper: Ethnic diversity and political participation: the role of individual income (2017)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ces:ceswps:_6772

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