A group rule-utilitarian approach to voter turnout: Theory and evidence

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Coate, S; Conlin, M
• 署名单位: Cornell University; Syracuse University
• 刊物名称: AMERICAN ECONOMIC REVIEW
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0002-8282
• DOI: 10.1257/0002828043052231
• 发表日期: 2004
• 页码: 1476-1504
• 关键词: rational turnout; PARTICIPATION; MODEL; dilemma

摘要

This paper explores a group rule-utilitarian approach to understanding voter turnout, inspired by the theoretical work of John C Harsanyi (1980) and Timothy J. Feddersen and Alvaro Sandroni (2002). It develops a model based on this approach and studies its performance in explaining turnout in Texas liquor referenda. The results are encouraging: the comparative static predictions of the model are broadly consistent with the data, and a structurally estimated version of the model yields reasonable coefficient estimates and fits the data well. The structurally estimated model also outperforms a simple expressive voting model.