A Cause or a Consequence? A Quasi-Experimental Test of the Duty-Participation Nexus KU Leuven
Civic duty has been perceived as a key determinant of turnout. That is, while dutiful citizens turn out in large numbers, those who conceive of voting as a choice do less so. The strong correlation between civic duty and turnout might be due to reverse causation, however. Specifically, individuals might adapt their sense of duty according to previous voting behavior. In this article, we leverage Belgium’s compulsory voting system and the ...