Political efficacy

Political Efficacy and political participation

How Internal Political Efficacy Translates Political Knowledge Into Political Participation

This study presents evidence for the mediation effect of political knowledge through political self-efficacy (i.e. internal political efficacy) in the prediction of political participation. It employs an action theoretic approach-by and large grounded on the Theory of Planned Behaviour-and uses data from the German Longitudinal Election Study to examine whether political knowledge has distinct ...

Segregation and Black Political Efficacy

The impact of segregation on Black political efficacy is theoretically ambiguous. On one hand, increased contact among Blacks in more segregated areas may mean that Blacks are better able to coordinate political behavior. On the other hand, lesser contact with non-Blacks may mean that Blacks have less political influence over voters of other races. As for non-Blacks, inter-group conflict theory...

Prerequisites for accountability and political efficacy

The literature offers two strategies for voters to apply when voting in elections: delegation and accountability. Most electoral research indicates that voters are becoming more volatile and parties more alike, which makes delegation a difficult task. But if voters are becoming more interested in the second strategy – ex post controls – it appears other institutional characteristics are likely ...

Direct Democracy and Political Efficacy Reconsidered

Some studies have contended that direct democracy has secondary benefits unrelated to its impact on policy. In particular, recent scholarship claims that the American ballot initiative process enhances political efficacy. We began with concerns about the logic and empirical methods underlying this conclusion. We connect this research to the broader political psychology literature and in doing s...