Voices of the People: How Lack of Participation Affects Public Policy and Government Action
Who votes influences public policy and governmental action. When elected officials hear from some people and not others equal protection of interests is jeopardized. Politicians recognize that they will never attract some members of the electorate s...
Voices of the People: Political Participation Impacts Health of the Nation
Political participation, in all the ways it is practiced, is critical to the health of a nation. Despite grumblings about the political process and the disappointing performance of recent years, the right to vote is the cornerstone of democracy. A l...
Voices of the People: Age and Voting Behavior
The age of the voter is often an indication of voting behavior. One of the biggest changes in American politics in the last decades is the political activism of elderly Young voters are much less likely to vote than older people, certainly a change ...
Voices of the People: Citizen Involvement in the United States
The number of U. S. citizens who work for the betterment of their communities is comparable to or higher than most other democracies. This volunteer tradition in many ways is unique to American politics. Many feel that their community is a place whe...
Candidates and Campaigns: Mass-Marketing of Politics
In the past, party rallies and door-to-door canvassing could be handled by volunteers. Today's media-based campaigns need paid specialists, another reason today's campaigns are so expensive. Karen Paget talks about her work on the Dukakis campaign i...
Voices of the People: Social Stratification of Political Participation
The poor and minorities in the U.S., even some affluent members of the middle class feel alienated from the political system. Unlike other democracies, lower income people are dropping out of the electorate in the U. S. This not only affects the kin...
Voices of the People: U. S. Voter Turnout Lags Behind Other Democracies
If you look at the long history of American engagement in the political process, the vast expansion of the franchise in the 20th century is ironically tied to a decline in political participation. Voter turnout in the U. S. is much lower than in oth...
Frames of Reference: Group Identification and Political Participation
Groups are a more compelling frame of reference than ideology for most Americans. Religious differences, for example, can be a source of political solidarity within the group and a source of conflict without. During the 1960s the civil rights moveme...
Voices of the People: Party Affiliation in Europe and the United States
Europeans tend to have a stronger attachment to their political parties, in part because they are sharply divided along social class or religious lines. Many European countries have labor or social democratic parties specifically aimed at the less a...