Participation inequality

Using Dahl’s framework, the first cause of participation inequality can be rooted in a political system’s public policy or in the Dahlian dimension of inclusiveness.

[5] The more insidious cause of participation inequality stems from a third dimension that has been recently added to Dahl’s two-dimensional evaluation of political systems: institutions.

Institutional causes for participation inequality can include literacy tests, extensive citizenship requirements, sparse voting booths in rural or poor areas, and a lack of public transportation.

[3] Many of these studies conclude that in developing democracies voting acts as a reassurance of social status or worth in the eyes of the state.

This cultural norm has not translated to more democratically responsive institutions in that “the governments created by these elections are known to neglect the interests of the poor and treat them disrespectfully compared to other income groups”.

[3] Nations like India are considered to be exceptions to the general rule that economic status has some bearing on voter participation.