The project deals with the problems of electoral participation and political communication in systems of multi-level governance. It employs a threefold research strategy (survey research, aggregate-data analysis and communication research). Recent developments in each of these methodologies will be incorporated, particularly recent developments in the methodology of ecological inference. The survey and media components of the project will cover all fifteen member states of the EU. The aggregate data component covers six EU states (Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland and Spain) and three states in the U.S. (California, Michigan and Texas). The project consists of five phases: theoretical and methodological development, data preparation, country and comparative analysis and preparation of final reports. It is anticipated that the project will lead to a substantial improvement in scholarly understanding of the problem of abstention and to significant policy recommendations. The project is pursued in collaboration with researchers from the following universities: Aarhus, Amsterdam, Ann Arbor, Barcelona, Bergen, Dublin, Florence, Grenoble, Plymouth
For publications see: www.uni-bamberg.de/sowi/polsociology/