Reevaluating Islamist electoral success and participation in government

E-voting and electoral participation

Numerous studies show that, together with the United States, Switzerland presents the lowest average levels of turnout among established democracies. At the same time, Swiss voters are among those most frequently called to the polls, owing to the widespread possibilities for direct democracy on all three levels of the federal state. Not surprisingly, it is also in Switzerland that new means of ...

Government Responsibility and Electoral Accountability in Federations

Because federalism can be a threat to accountability, a model of voting behavior in federations must accommodate voters' attributions of responsibility to each order of government for policy outcomes. This study uses a panel survey of Canadians in both federal and provincial elections to ask whether voters are able to hold governments accountable in a federal context. Voters may ignore issues w...

Gender Stereotypes and Electoral Success

In recent years, the Democratic Party has been considerably more successful at electing women than the Republican Party. Research suggests that the Democratic advantage for women stems from a more inclusive party culture and party support for women-friendly policies. This paper considers whether the gender gap in representation between the parties may also be shaped by intersection of instituti...

Interest in Elections and Electoral Participation

The author stresses that participation has an intrinsic value for the citizens. In addition, it is also important as a means of civic education, a process in which citizens learn civic values. A comparison of electoral participation in democratic polities shows great differences among them. The author argues that the level of voter turnout depends on a number of factors, such as the features of...

Success in Government