About Rational Choice models in electoral research

The article adresses two main questions. First, how useful are Rational Choice models for the understanding of voter turnout And, second, how fruitful are they for the analysis of voters' party choice? The questions are discussed by considering the main alternative to Rational Choice models: the Social Psychological models of electoral behavior. With regard to voter turnout, the main conclusion is that Rational Choice theories have had only limited success in explaining why people abstain from voting. Factors other than pure cost-benefit calculations must be considered most notably personal and structural characteristics of importance to voter mobilization. For the analysis of party choice, on the other hand, Rational Choice models may provide a fruitful framework. The increased level of voter fluctuations and the weakening ties between parties and their followers have increased the relevance of more ''open'' models for party competition. In future analysis of mass-elite linkages it is important to specify the context of the participants involved and to account for differences in ''rationality'' and ''information'' on the two levels.