Voting in Old and New Democracies

Reviews / Votes

'This book is essential reading for all scholars interested in the democratic role of elections. Analyzing a unique database consisting of survey data from 18 countries it provides important new insights into the relevance of political intermediation through the communications of mass media, political organizations and ordinary citizens for democratic politics on a global scale.' -Ruediger Schmitt-Beck, University of Mannheim

'This insightful book makes productive use of innovative survey questions from a wide range of countries to shed light on long-neglected questions regarding how voters acquire and direct their concerns onto the objects of electoral choice: political parties. In so doing the study introduces an apparently new term to the lexicon of political behavior: "political intermediation." The study uses this concept as a lens with which to focus attention on the role of intermediaries (family, friends, the media, and social groups) in framing political choices: roles that appear to condition decisions in the voting booth.' -Mark N. Franklin, European University Institute

'La evidencia presentada en Voting in Old and New Democracies ensancha la agenda de investigacion sobre el comportamiento politico-electoral en el mundo, poniendo sobre la mesa la importancia de factores como los canales de intermediacion politica -que influyen en la relacion entre partidos politicos y ciudadanos-, los cuales suelen estar ausentes en el analisis de la decision de voto. Dicha contribucion, sumada a la relevancia que se le da al proceso de modernizacion -ahora experimentado a traves de cambios tecnologicos que se viven en el mundo con el uso de las redes socio-digitales y el Internet- indican que el estudio comparado del comportamiento electoral es todavia una agenda de investigacion abierta a nuevas explicaciones teoricas y hallazgos novedosos. Voting in Old and New democracies contribuye a ello.'-Isaac Cisneros, Perfiles Latinoamericanos

'Voting in Old and New Democracies is a tour de force that dramatically improves scholarly understanding of why and how people turn out to vote and vote the way they do in a diverse group of democracies that vary dramatically in terms of their age, consolidation, level of economic development, and democratic quality. It is a book that I encourage all scholars of electoral behavior to read, and to read carefully.'-Mark P. Jones, Latin American Politics and Society

'Altogether, this is a very strong volume that clearly identifies both the strengths and limitations of comparative studies. It should find a place in every reading list on undergraduate and postgraduate modules in comparative political behaviour. It should also serve as a very reliable primer to more experienced researchers who need both a guide to the known terrain and a clear map as to where we go next.'-John Bartle, Party Politics