Elections and Voting Behavior

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

The course is about the scientific study of elections and voting behavior in modern democracies. The organization of elections is a key defining feature, maybe THE key defining feature, of democracy. It is thus crucial for politics students to be able to apprehend them scientifically. The course examines in detail the act of voting in contemporary democracies, mostly Western but also non-Western democracies. The topics covered include how voters form preferences for parties and candidates, how they translate these preferences into a vote or an abstention, and how they react to electoral campaigns and the state of the economy. It also covers how parties decide upon their electoral program, and how this affects their electoral performance.