Description
Book SynopsisElgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences, business and law, expertly written by the world’s leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas.
Tackling the complex issues surrounding what shapes a person’s vote, this cutting-edge Advanced Introduction analyses the main findings in current research on electoral behavior to provide a comprehensive understanding of electoral choice.
Key Features:
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- Treats the voting decision as the cumulation of a lifetime of learning
- Studies global voting examples, from Europe and the Anglo-American democracies to newly democratic states
- Places the act of voting in context to cover all dimensions of the voting decision, examining the causes of an individual's vote and how that interacts with the design of the country's institutions
- Considers the ideological effects of short-term factors like issues and leaders which dominate election campaigns, and long-term factors like social backgrounds, looking at how class and economic interests can influence voters
Analysing the incentives behind party loyalties and political participation, this Advanced Introduction will be an invaluable guide for students and scholars interested in political and electoral behavior and comparative politics.
Trade Review‘Ian McAllister is one of the most distinguished political scientists today, who has devoted his academic life to researching and writing on elections and voting behaviour. This Advanced Introduction
draws together his considerable expertise in this field to provide the definitive introduction to the subject, covering the context of elections, the significance of party loyalties, how citizens participate in elections, and the factors influencing the individual vote decision.’ -- David Farrell, University College Dublin, Ireland
‘Ian McAllister uses his expert knowledge of voting and elections on three continents to provide a clear and useful guide to how elections are held, how parties compete, how voters respond and why elections matter for democracy.’ -- Professor Richard Rose, University of Strathclyde, UK and author of How Sick Is British Democracy?
‘As global politics enters a new era of flux and innovation, this book offers an important and much needed anchor for current debates on the future of democracy. Ian McAllister has provided a compelling and comprehensive review of current knowledge on perennial questions about the electoral context shaping voter choices.’ -- Rachel Gibson, University of Manchester, UK
‘Advanced Introduction to Elections and Voting
provides a comprehensive overview of the literature on elections and voting. McAllister succinctly summarizes the main theories to explain elections and also provides pointers for those who want to read more. This excellent introduction will immediately get students who are new to the field up-to-speed with the relevant literature.’ -- Ruth Dassonneville, Université de Montréal, Canada
Table of ContentsContents: Preface 1. Elections: the “rules of the game” 2. Parties and party systems 3. Party loyalties 4. Political participation 5. Social background 6. Class and economic interests 7. Issues and ideology 8. Leaders and the personalization of politics 9. Conclusion: elections and democracy References Index
