Individual characteristics, institutional incentives and electoral abstention in Western Europe

Abstract. This article examines the interaction between individual characteristics and institutional incentives in non–voting, with a special focus on the interaction between these two types of explanatory variables. The analysis of survey and contextual data for parliamentary elections in 15 Western European countries shows that the effect of individual resources and motivations on abstention is not constant across different countries. Conversely, the effect of institutional incentives (compulsory voting, voting facilities, electoral thresholds of representation and preference expression) on non–voting depends on the elector's level of resources and motivations. One of the four institutional incentives considered has even opposite effects for citizens with different individual characteristics. The analysis also shows that when analysing interactions it is fundamental to distinguish between magnitudes and consequences of the effects of explanatory variables. This has important implications for the interpretation of the results of logistic regression analysis.     

The Danes and Europe: From EC 1972 to Euro 2000 – Elections, Referendums and Attitudes

Within Europe, the Danish electorate is the one that has most often expressed its opinion about the European Union in elections and in national referendums. Votes and attitudes are analysed for the five elections to the European Parliament between 1979 and 1999 and in the six referendums – from the first on membership of the EC in 1972 to the September 2000 referendum on acceptance of the euro, the European single currency. The article gives an overview of the development of Danish public opinion in relation to the European Union from 1960 to 2000, the turnouts at referendums, and the elections and results for the European Parliament. It is shown that since Denmark joined the EU, public opinion has fluctuated greatly, although the balance among Danish European Parliament members has remained stable. The reasons for the frequent use of referendums in Denmark and a thematic outline of the six referendums are put forward. The article concludes with a comprehensive analysis of public attitudes towards the referendum on the euro in 2000. It is shown that regional electoral patterns have vanished, but underlying attitudes are manifested in the public.     

论重构国有企业的激励约束机制

国有企业激励约束机制的重建关系到国有企业的生存与发展 ,重建国有企业激励约束机制是一项复杂的系统工程 ,只有从所有权、委托代理及会计人和经营人员等方面去进行改革 ,进行公司治理 ,才能建立起有效的国有企业激励约束机制     

以"三个代表"重要思想为指导繁荣云南哲学社会科学事业

在建立社会主义市场经济、建设有中国特色社会主义的过程中 ,必须以“三个代表”的重要思想为指导 ,充分重视哲学社会科学研究的重大意义。云南省哲学社会科学研究在全省的经济社会发展中发挥了重要作用。进入 2 1世纪 ,新时期对云南省哲学社会科学研究提出了更高的要求 ,坚持“与时俱进” ,推进理论创新 ,才能使哲学社会科学研究更好地为党和政府决策服务 ,为建设云南民族文化大省服务     

Contents of Volume 19 (2000)

Volume Contents

Contents of Volume 19 (2000)     

Author Index

Authors Index

Author Index