Publication details
West and East: Still the Gap? Aggregate Analysis of Electoral Behavior in Central Europe
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| Year of publication | 2011 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Citation | |
| Description | A series of changes has taken place in Central Europe after the fall of communism. Some of these changes have been driven by the increased influence and relevance of a multilevel government, the highest level in the hierarchy being Brussels and the lowest, the closest municipality. A question remains as to whether these changes have been of a uniform nature, or whether they have influenced different states – and even different locations within the same state – in different ways. This paper focuses on patterns of electoral behavior in terms of the spatial distribution of election results and the impact of social structure. It asks whether these patterns have become more similar in the Central European region. The basic hypothesis is that the influence of socioeconomic characteristics is becoming ever more similar with the continuing integration of Central Europe. The first phase of the analysis will be quantitative in nature. We employ ordinary least squares regression and geographical weighted regression, using data from elections and censuses, to describe similarities and differences in the influence of electoral behavior determinants among countries (Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary), as well as the development of these factors. The second phase studies the alignment of results in terms of important dates in the integration process. |
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