Publication type
Journal Article
Authors
Publication date
August 15, 2017
Summary:
It is generally accepted that the rich are more likely to participate in politics than the poor. It is also generally accepted that the probability than an individual will participate in elections is influenced by the gap between the rich and the poor. There is little agreement, however, about whether inequality across time and space increases or decreases participation. In this paper we examine the impact of inequality across space. We suggest that the impact of inequality depends crucially on whether it is defined in terms of variations between geographical units (‘segregation’) or within geographical units (‘heterogeneity’). Evidence to support this argument is drawn from multi-level British data. Heterogeneity has a mildly positive effect on participation but this effect seems to be outweighed by the negative impact of segregation. The effect of segregation, moreover, is most pronounced among the poorer sections of the population, indicating that geographical isolation among the poor ('ghettoization') leads to lower turnout among these groups.
Published in
Electoral Studies
Volume and page numbers
Volume: 48 , p.30 -44
DOI
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.electstud.2017.05.004
ISSN
2613794
Subjects
Notes
Open Access funded by Economic and Social Research Council
Under a Creative Commons license
Open Access
#524339