Experimental evidence that quorum rules discourage turnout and promote election boycotts |
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Authors: | Luís Aguiar-Conraria Pedro C Magalhães Christoph A Vanberg |
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Institution: | 1.NIPE and Economics Department,University of Minho,Braga,Portugal;2.Institute of Social Sciences,University of Lisbon,Lisbon,Portugal;3.Alfred-Weber-Institut,University of Heidelberg,Heidelberg,Germany |
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Abstract: | Many democratic decision making institutions involve quorum rules. Such rules are commonly motivated by concerns about the “legitimacy” or “representativeness” of decisions reached when only a subset of eligible voters participates. A prominent example of this can be found in the context of direct democracy mechanisms, such as referenda and initiatives. We conduct a laboratory experiment to investigate the consequences of the two most common types of quorum rules: a participation quorum and an approval quorum. We find that both types of quora lead to lower participation rates, dramatically increasing the likelihood of full-fledged electoral boycotts on the part of those who endorse the Status Quo. This discouraging effect is significantly larger under a participation quorum than under an approval quorum. |
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