The effects of local government consolidation on turnout : evidence from a quasi-experiment in Switzerland

Rochat, Philippe E.; Koch, Philippe

doi:10.1111/spsr.12269

Publication type:	Article in scientific journal
Type of review:	Peer review (publication)
Title:	The effects of local government consolidation on turnout : evidence from a quasi-experiment in Switzerland
Authors:	Rochat, Philippe E. Koch, Philippe
DOI:	10.1111/spsr.12269
Published in:	Swiss Political Science Review
Volume(Issue):	23
Issue:	3
Page(s):	215
Pages to:	230
Issue Date:	2017
Publisher / Ed. Institution:	Wiley
ISSN:	1424-7755 1662-6370
Language:	English
Subjects:	Municipal reforms; Local democracy
Subject (DDC):	320: Politics
Abstract:	In the last decades, municipal mergers have been one major element of local government reforms in Switzerland and beyond. In this article, we describe and analyze the political effects of this development. We use a quasi-experimental setting to test the impact of municipal mergers on electoral participation. We find that in merged municipalities, the decrease in turnout is significantly stronger than in non-merged municipalities. Further, the effect is more pronounced in relatively small localities. There is a temporal dimension to this effect – that is, turnout drops mainly in the first election after the first merger, but not so much after the second or third merger. Hence, the study provides a skeptical yet differentiated perspective on the democratic consequences of municipal mergers and points to further research avenues to develop a more comprehensive understanding of local government consolidation.
URI:	https://digitalcollection.zhaw.ch/handle/11475/16794
Fulltext version:	Published version
License (according to publishing contract):	Licence according to publishing contract
Departement:	Architecture, Design and Civil Engineering
Organisational Unit:	Institute of Urban Landscape (IUL)
Appears in collections:	Publikationen Architektur, Gestaltung und Bauingenieurwesen

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Rochat, P. E., & Koch, P. (2017). The effects of local government consolidation on turnout : evidence from a quasi-experiment in Switzerland. Swiss Political Science Review, 23(3), 215–230. https://doi.org/10.1111/spsr.12269

Rochat, P.E. and Koch, P. (2017) ‘The effects of local government consolidation on turnout : evidence from a quasi-experiment in Switzerland’, Swiss Political Science Review, 23(3), pp. 215–230. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/spsr.12269.

P. E. Rochat and P. Koch, “The effects of local government consolidation on turnout : evidence from a quasi-experiment in Switzerland,” Swiss Political Science Review, vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 215–230, 2017, doi: 10.1111/spsr.12269.

ROCHAT, Philippe E. und Philippe KOCH, 2017. The effects of local government consolidation on turnout : evidence from a quasi-experiment in Switzerland. Swiss Political Science Review. 2017. Bd. 23, Nr. 3, S. 215–230. DOI 10.1111/spsr.12269

Rochat, Philippe E., and Philippe Koch. 2017. “The Effects of Local Government Consolidation on Turnout : Evidence from a Quasi-Experiment in Switzerland.” Swiss Political Science Review 23 (3): 215–30. https://doi.org/10.1111/spsr.12269.

Rochat, Philippe E., and Philippe Koch. “The Effects of Local Government Consolidation on Turnout : Evidence from a Quasi-Experiment in Switzerland.” Swiss Political Science Review, vol. 23, no. 3, 2017, pp. 215–30, https://doi.org/10.1111/spsr.12269.