Friends and Neighbours Voting in Local Elections in Open List System: Evidence from Poland

Local government is the hidden leviathan of American politics: it accounts for nearly a tenth of gross domestic product, it collects nearly as much in taxes as the federal government, and its decisions have an enormous impact on Americans' daily lives. Yet political scientists have few explanations for how people vote in local elections, particularly in the smaller cities, towns, and suburbs where most Americans live. Drawing on a wide variety of data sources and case studies, this book offers the first comprehensive analysis of electoral politics in America's municipalities. Arguing that current explanations of voting behavior are ill suited for most local contests, the book puts forward a new theory that highlights the crucial differences between local, state, and national democracies. Being small in size, limited in power, and largely unbiased in distributing their resources, local governments are “managerial democracies” with a distinct style of electoral politics. Instead of hinging on the partisanship, ideology, and group appeals that define national and state elections, local elections are based on the custodial performance of civic-oriented leaders and on their personal connections to voters with similarly deep community ties. Explaining not only the dynamics of local elections, Oliver's findings also upend many long-held assumptions about community power and local governance, including the importance of voter turnout and the possibilities for grassroots political change.

Download Full-text

Local elections in Rzeszów in 2010 - characteristics and the context

Annales Universitatis Mariae Curie-Skłodowska sectio K – Politologia ◽

10.2478/v10226-011-0015-1 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 18 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Paweł Hayn

Keyword(s):

Local Elections

Download Full-text

The Impact of Korean Local Elections. Strategic Forum, Number 49, October 1995

10.21236/ada385745 ◽

1995 ◽

Author(s):

William Drennan

Keyword(s):

Local Elections ◽

The Impact

Download Full-text

Post-election Survey Data: Local Democracy and the 2018 Local Elections in the Czech Republic

Data in Brief ◽

10.1016/j.dib.2021.107039 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 107039

Author(s):

Pavel Šaradín ◽

Tomáš Lebeda ◽

Jakub Lysek ◽

Michal Soukop ◽

Daniela Ostrá ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Czech Republic ◽

Survey Data ◽

Local Elections ◽

Local Democracy ◽

The Czech Republic

Download Full-text

Ballot Cues, Business Candidates, and Voter Choices in Local Elections

American Politics Research ◽

10.1177/1532673x20943559 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1532673X2094355

Author(s):

Brian E. Adams ◽

Edward L. Lascher ◽

Danielle Joesten Martin

Keyword(s):

Experimental Data ◽

Decision Making ◽

Business Owners ◽

Small Business Owners ◽

Local Elections ◽

Electoral Success ◽

Political Experience ◽

Occupational Information ◽

Political Background ◽

Occupational Background

American voters commonly express abstract support for candidates with a business background, yet there is minimal systematic evidence about whether it advantages candidates in actual electoral contests. We examine this question using observational data, drawing on a California law allowing candidates to designate their occupational background on the ballot, and experimental data. Candidates with a business background are prevalent in California. However, neither of our studies indicate that business candidates enjoy atypical overall electoral success (although Republican leaning constituencies have a notably more favorable view of such candidates). A political background predicts electoral success far more effectively. Further, “small business owners” have more success than other business candidates, suggesting that voters consider the specifics of a candidate’s business experience. These results advance our knowledge of decision making in low-information elections, how voters weigh private-sector versus political experience, and how they filter occupational information through a partisan lens.

Download Full-text