A Structural Model of Turnout and Voting in Multiple Elections

Arianna Degan and Antonio Merlo

PIER Working Paper Archive from Penn Institute for Economic Research, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania

Abstract: In this paper, we propose a unified approach to study participation and voting in multiple elections. The theoretical framework combines an “uncertain-voter†model of turnout with a spatial model of voting behavior. We apply our framework to study turnout and voting in U.S. national (presidential and congressional) elections, and structurally estimate the model using individual-level data for the 2000 elections. The estimated model replicates the patterns of abstention, selective abstention, split-ticket voting, and straight-ticket voting observed in the data. We also quantify the relationships between observed individual characteristics and unobserved citizens’ ideological preferences, information, and civic duty. Finally, we assess the effects of policies that may increase citizens’ information and sense of civic duty on their turnout and voting behavior.

Keywords: elections; turnout; selective abstention; split-ticket voting (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D72 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 46 pages
Date: 2004-04-01, Revised 2006-08-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cdm and nep-pol
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (17)

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Related works:
Journal Article: A STRUCTURAL MODEL OF TURNOUT AND VOTING IN MULTIPLE ELECTIONS (2011)
Working Paper: A Structural Model of Turnout and Voting in Multiple Elections (2007)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pen:papers:06-021

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