Research report 2008 - Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies
No Big Deal? Why a Lower Voter Turnout is Bad for Democracy
Authors
Schäfer, Armin
Departments
Institutioneller Wandel im gegenwärtigen Kapitalismus (Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Streeck)
MPI für Gesellschaftsforschung, Köln
Summary
Voter turnout in Germany is decreasing as it is in many established democracies. At the same time other modes of participation in politics are increasing. This combination is detrimental to the democratic ideal of political equality because elections are less socially skewed than other types of political participation.