The paradox between an individual's decisions to head to the polls and the absence of
strictly rational arguments for this action has intrigued–and troubled–many scholars. The …

This essay reviews models of strategic mobilization and turnout, focusing on two important
questions about the effects of electoral rules. First, how does the disproportionality of the …

Voter turnout theories based on rational self-interested behavior generally fail to predict
significant turnout unless they account for the utility that citizens receive from performing …

The economic model of behaviour is fundamental not only in economic theory, but also in
modern approaches of other social sciences, above all in political science and law. This …

It is widely believed that rational choice theory is grossly inconsistent with empirical
observations about voter turnout. We report the results of an experiment designed to test the …

This paper uses a natural experiment to document the impact of social pressure on voting
behavior. The main hypothesis is that social pressure creates incentives to vote for the …

In this essay, I consider how electoral laws affect parties' mobilizational incentives and,
hence, turnout. The strategy is to look systematically at how differing electoral rules affect the …

Classical rational choice explanations of voting participation are widely thought to have
failed. This article argues that the currently dominant Group Mobilization and Ethical Agency …

During the 2010 gubernatorial elections, we elicit voter beliefs about the closeness of the
election before and after showing different polls, which, depending on treatment, indicate a …

This paper reports the results of a series of experiments in which the voter turnout decision
was analyzed as a participation game. The experiments were inspired by the model of …