1188 | | Spatial differences in political behaviour | Balázs Szabó (1); Tamás Kovalcsik (2)
Spatial patterns of voting behaviour have been in the focus of electoral geography for a hundred years; the classical theories of cleavages are more than 50 years old. Analysis of territorial differences of elections is equally important in the stable democracies in North-western countries, in newer democracies, like the ones in Southern and Eastern Europe where there were long periods without free elections, and even in some autocratic regimes with rigged elections. Free and fair or manipulated, the elections are a major source of legitimacy in most countries.
One dimension of the continuously important regional differences, the urban-rural divide has become the most important cleavage in the last decade. It explains many aspects of social and political behaviour, thus it is in the focus of attention in election times. The 2016 Brexit referendum and D. Trump’s victory highlighted that the place of residence has a strong effect on the political behaviour. In spite of growing mobility of population and the internet penetration, the urban-rural differences have increased in Europe and North America in a similar way.
New and even newer socio-political processes, like climate change, Covid-19 pandemic, fake news and conspiratorial theories, or the war in Ukraine also influence the election results. Their effect on political behaviour is different among countries, regions and types of settlements.
Researchers of political geography are invited to this session regardless whether they focus on the spatial patterns of voting or on the spatial aspects of other kinds of political behaviour. Papers dealing with electoral geography can analyse any (European, national, regional, local) elections at any territorial level (from the comparison of different countries till the exploration of differences between the wards of cities), and also the difference between the results of postal votes and voting polls. Topics like the connection between election results and geographical distribution of constituencies, the gerrymandering and malapportionment can also be addressed.
Articulation of political interests can have other forms than just voting, so analyses of other types of political activity like participation in referendums or protest movements are also welcome. These activities are important parts of political behaviour both in democratic and authoritarian regimes.
The aim of the session is to provide a forum for different approaches to political geography, for scholars dealing with both classic and new processes and using different methods in the research of political behaviour.
Balázs Szabó (1); Tamás Kovalcsik (2)
(1) Geographical Institute RCAES, (2) University of Szeged
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