Participation

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Participation
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What are all of the ways you can participate in
politics?
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Participation, PS 125
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Why is participation important?
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Why dont some people participate?
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Probability of voting Benefit - Cost
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Rational calculations?(Would you give up the
right to vote forever for?)
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Voter Turnout, 2004 Election
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What makes a person more likely to vote?

• Higher Education
• Why?
• More interest in politics (higher benefit)
• More background information to understand
  politics, and skills to get through the
  registration and voting process (lower costs)
  

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Level of information, PS 125
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Effect of education on turnout
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What makes a person more likely to vote?

• Higher Education
• Higher Income
• Why?
• Free time (lower costs)
• Stake in community (taxes etc.higher benefit)

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Effect of income on turnout
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Effect of race on turnout?
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What makes a person more likely to vote?

• Higher Education
• Higher Income / more resources
• Lack of language/cultural barriers

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Effect of citizenship on turnout
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What makes a person more likely to vote?

• Higher Education
• Higher Income / more resources
• Lack of language/cultural barriers
• Easy registration

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Effect of Registration laws on turnout
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So why dont young people vote?
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Newspaper readership
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Newspaper readership, by age
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What makes a person more likely to vote?

• Higher Education
• Higher Income / more resources
• Lack of language/cultural barriers
• Easy registration
• Interest
• Social Connectedness

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What makes a person more likely to vote?

• Social connectedness
• Why?
• Learn civic skills in a group (lower costs)
• Feel responsibility to a particular community
  (higher benefit)
  
• Group norms (higher social benefit)

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Effect of marriage on turnout
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Effect of residency on turnout
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Effect of home ownership on turnout
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What is social capital?

• The norms and trust that develop from
  interpersonal social relationships
  
• A byproduct of other activities, not something
  created on its own

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Putnams evidence for declining social capital

• Membership in PTA, League of Women Voters, Elks
  Clubs and the like have declined 25-50 in the
  last 25 years.
  
• Bowling leagues and sports leagues have less
  participation
  
• People spend up to 25 less time socializing with
  friends than they did in 1965.
  
• Church attendance is down 15-30.
• Attending Club Meetings down 58
• Family dinners down 33
• Having friends over down 45

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Why the decline of social capital?
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(No Transcript)
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What are ways we can build social capital?
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What does a healthy democracy really need?

• Which do you think has a bigger potential affect
  on the health of democracy, having an informed
  citizenry, or having close-knit communities?
  
• Do you think the system will be biased against
  people who dont participate?
  
• So who might the system be biased against?
• Does that make for a healthy democracy?