Voters and Voting: An Introduction

'This clear and comprehensive textbook will be invaluable for undergraduate and graduate courses on elections and voting behaviour. Complex theoretical and statistical ideas are explained lucidly and effectively - no mean achievement' - Representation 'Voters and Voting fills a yawning gap in the study of elections and voting behaviour. No other book today matches the breadth and depth of coverage provided by Jocelyn Evans. This book is destined to become a staple in university courses on elections, parties and political methodology. It will also be a well-thumbed addition to scholars' personal libraries' - David M Farrell, The University of Manchester This accessible textbook provides a comprehensive introduction and guide to theories of voting and electoral behaviour. The text introduces the concept of voting and traces the historical origins and development of voting theories up to and including present-day techniques and models. Approaches reviewed include the early social and psychological models, through the rational choice, spatial modelling and economic theories, to the more sophisticated contemporary models. By carefully presenting and explaining the major technical and methodological advances made in voting studies, the text serves to provide a complete review of the different approaches and techniques that have characterized this area of study from its origins to the present day. The book includes separate chapters on abstention and electoral competition, and employs a range of empirical examples from a number of countries. It concludes by looking at how voting studies might evolve in the future. Voters and Voting: An Introduction will be essential reading for all students of electoral and political behaviour across the social and political sciences.

Table of Contents:
Introduction Historical Development of Voting Studies Social Structural Theories of Voting Rational Choice Theories of Voting Issues and Space Proximity and Directional Theories of Voting Voting and the Economy Non-voting and Abstention Thinking about Voting Change Conclusion

Review :
′Voters and Voting fills a yawning gap in the study of elections and voting behaviour. No other book today matches the breadth and depth of coverage provided by Jocelyn Evans. This book is destined to become a staple in university courses on elections, parties and political methodology. It will also be a well-thumbed addition to scholars personal libraries′ David M. Farrell, University of Manchester "It provides a comprehensive review of the voting process useful in political science, communication, global studies, and social scientific methods classrooms. Yet, the book is distinguished from other texts used in these areas in that it places the voter at the center of the discussion."