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Income, civic participation and achieving greater democracy

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  • Levin-Waldman, Oren M.

Abstract

Democratic society requires individuals to be autonomous, and those with greater resources are likely to enjoy greater autonomy. Democracy also assumes that individuals will participate in the affairs of their community, i.e. there will be civic engagement. But civic engagement may also be affected by individuals’ economic resources. Using data from Current Population Survey's Civic Participation file for 2008, this paper shows that individuals with higher incomes and/or from households with higher incomes will be more likely to be engaged in civic participation. While these findings are in lines with much of the existing literature on civic engagement, this paper uses these findings to make a speculative argument that to the extent that those with higher incomes are more likely to be civically engaged, it can then be inferred that a wage policy, which would enhance individual autonomy, might also result in greater civic engagement.

Suggested Citation

  • Levin-Waldman, Oren M., 2013. "Income, civic participation and achieving greater democracy," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 83-92.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:soceco:v:43:y:2013:i:c:p:83-92
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socec.2013.01.004
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Dietlind Stolle & Marc Morjé Howard, 2008. "Civic Engagement and Civic Attitudes in Cross-National Perspective: Introduction to the Symposium," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 56, pages 1-11, March.
    2. Acemoglu,Daron & Robinson,James A., 2009. "Economic Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521671422, September.
    3. Mettler, Suzanne, 2002. "Bringing the State Back In to Civic Engagement: Policy Feedback Effects of the G.I. Bill for World War II Veterans," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 96(2), pages 351-365, June.
    4. Campbell, Andrea Louise, 2002. "Self-Interest, Social Security, and the Distinctive Participation Patterns of Senior Citizens," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 96(3), pages 565-574, September.
    5. Sidney Webb, 1912. "The Economic Theory of a Legal Minimum Wage," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 20(10), pages 973-973.
    6. Oren Levin-Waldman, 2009. "The Broad Reach of the Minimum Wage," Challenge, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 52(5), pages 100-116.
    7. Powell, G. Bingham, 1986. "American Voter Turnout in Comparative Perspective," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 80(1), pages 17-43, March.
    8. Lipset, Seymour Martin, 1959. "Some Social Requisites of Democracy: Economic Development and Political Legitimacy1," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 53(1), pages 69-105, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Oren M. Levin-Waldman, 2017. "Is Inequality Designed or Preordained?," SAGE Open, , vol. 7(2), pages 21582440177, April.
    2. Xu, Haiyun & Meng, Miao & Zhu, Fangyu & Ding, Qi, 2024. "The role of local officials in promoting public participation during local urban planning processes: Evidence from Chinese cities," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    3. Rui Nan & Yongjiao Yang, 2022. "Who Is Willing to Participate in Local Governance? Modernization of Shared Governance in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-16, November.
    4. Ihlanfeldt, Keith & Yang, Cynthia Fan, 2021. "Not in my neighborhood: the effects of single-family rentals on home values," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    5. Xuesong Xi & Haiyun Xu & Qiang Zhao & Guohan Zhao, 2021. "Making Rural Micro-Regeneration Strategies Based on Resident Perceptions and Preferences for Traditional Village Conservation and Development: The Case of Huangshan Village, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-24, July.
    6. Catalina Amuedo-Dorantes & Mary J. Lopez, 2017. "Interior Immigration Enforcement and Political Participation of U.S. Citizens in Mixed-Status Households," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 54(6), pages 2223-2247, December.
    7. Hasnan Baber & Riri Kusumarani & Hongwei (Chris) Yang, 2022. "U.S. Election 2020: Intentions to Participate in Political Crowdfunding during COVID-19 Pandemic," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-22, July.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Labor markets; Civic participation; Civic engagement; Democracy; Wage policy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J08 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General - - - Labor Economics Policies
    • J11 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Demographic Trends, Macroeconomic Effects, and Forecasts
    • J18 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Public Policy
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J38 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Public Policy

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