Vliv volební účasti na zisky jednotlivých politických stran: případ voleb do Poslanecké sněmovny v roce 2006
The Effect of Turnout on Party Support: A Case Study of the Czech Chamber of Deputies Elections in 2006

Summary/Abstract: This paper analyses the effect of turnout on the support of different parties in the Czech Republic. It tests hypotheses derived from American and Western European literature concerning the advantage/disadvantage of higher turnout for particular parties, especially for left-wing parties. The text introduces the main theories and research strategies concerning the partisan effects of voter turnout, and then tests several hypotheses concerning this issue. The analysis uses both aggregate and individual level data. The results show that higher turnout is advantageous for the parties whose voters lack strong party identification (ČSSD and the Green Party). On the other hand, it brings lower gains to parties with a disciplined electorate (ODS, KDU-ČSL and partly also for KSČM). The case of KSČM points to the curvilinearity of the relationship between turnout and party support. More sophisticated statistical analysis should be used in future research.

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