GV303-6-SP-CO:
Electoral Behaviour
PLEASE NOTE: This module is inactive. Visit the Module Directory to view modules and variants offered during the current academic year.
2025/26
Government
Colchester Campus
Spring
Undergraduate: Level 6
Inactive
Monday 12 January 2026
Friday 20 March 2026
15
08 October 2024
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
This module provides a range of theoretical angles and empirical evidence to understand electoral behaviour. The module focuses on individual motivations as well as political and economic influences on electoral participation and vote choice across countries, including the UK.
The aims of this module are:
- To examine three broad issues:
- Why do people vote?
- Why do they support one party or candidate rather than another?
- How do people reason about voting and politics more generally?
By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:
- Understand different theoretical approaches to explain why people vote (and do not vote) and why they support one party or candidate over another
- Understand how political and economic contexts influence electoral participation and vote choice
- Understand the psychology of participation, the nature of public reasoning about political issues and interpersonal influences on public opinion
- Understand methodological approaches to modelling voting behaviour and the techniques used to measure and study public opinion, electoral participation, and vote choice
No additional information available.
This module will be delivered via:
- 1 x two hour seminar each week
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Dalton, R. and Klingemann, H.-D. (2007) 'Citizens and Political Behavior', in
The Oxford handbook of political behavior. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 3–26. Available at:
https://academic-oup-com.uniessexlib.idm.oclc.org/edited-volume/28179/chapter/213036404.
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Dassonneville, R. (2022c)
Voters Under Pressure. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780192894137.001.0001.
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Arzheimer, K., Evans, J. and Lewis-Beck, M. (2017b)
The SAGE Handbook of Electoral Behaviour: Volume 2. 1 Oliver's Yard, 55 City Road London EC1Y 1SP : SAGE Publications Ltd. Available at:
https://app.kortext.com/Shibboleth.sso/Login?entityID=https://idp0.essex.ac.uk/shibboleth&target=https://app.kortext.com/borrow/189895.
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Aldrich, J.H. and Jenke, L.M. (2017) 'Turnout and the calculus of voting', in J. Fisher et al. (eds)
The Routledge Handbook of Elections, Voting Behaviorand Public Opinion. Routledge, pp. 83–95. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315712390-8.
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Lau, R.R. and Redlawsk, D.P. (2006a) 'Chapter 1 Introduction', in
How voters decide: information processing during election campaigns. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 3–20. Available at:
https://www-cambridge-org.uniessexlib.idm.oclc.org/core/books/how-voters-decide/introduction/451DD8C95A6D6D5092677860DFAA2FE0.
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Best, R.E. (2011) 'The declining electoral relevance of traditional cleavage groups',
European Political Science Review, 3(2), pp. 279–300. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1017/S1755773910000366.
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Kedar, O. (2009)
Voting for policy, not parties: how voters compensate for power sharing. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Available at:
https://doi-org.uniessexlib.idm.oclc.org/10.1017/CBO9780511657481.
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Gallati, L. and Giger, N. (2020) 'Proximity and directional voting: Testing for the region of acceptability',
Electoral Studies, 64. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electstud.2019.02.015.
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Johns, R. and Kölln, A. (2020) 'Moderation and Competence: How a Party's Ideological Position Shapes Its Valence Reputation',
American Journal of Political Science, 64(3), pp. 649–663. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1111/ajps.12481.
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Bélanger, É. and Meguid, B.M. (2008) 'Issue salience, issue ownership, and issue-based vote choice',
Electoral Studies, 27(3), pp. 477–491. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electstud.2008.01.001.
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KIRKIZH, N., FROIO, C. and STIER, S. (2023) 'Issue trade-offs and the politics of representation: Experimental evidence from four European democracies',
European Journal of Political Research, 62(4), pp. 1009–1030. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6765.12558.
The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course.
The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students.
Further reading can be obtained from this module's
reading list.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Roi Zur, email: roi.zur@essex.ac.uk.
Dr Roi Zur
Please contact govquery@essex.ac.uk
Yes
Yes
No
No external examiner information available for this module.
Available via Moodle
Of 20 hours, 20 (100%) hours available to students:
0 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s).
Government
* Please note: due to differing publication schedules, items marked with an asterisk (*) base their information upon the previous academic year.
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