HOW PEOPLE VOTE? : Civic Literacy and Political Participation

Book Details

• Publisher: Rawat Publications

• Author: Lancy Lobo and Jayesh Shah

• Language: English

• Cover: Hardcover

• ISBN: 9788131610466

• Pages: 264

• Publication Year: 2019

About the Book

In a liberal, open, and competitive democracy, understanding voting behavior is crucial. For India, the world's largest democracy with one-sixth of the global electorate, the patterns of political participation have far-reaching implications. The book delves into the critical question of how people vote in India, focusing on the dynamics within Gujarat across rural, semi-urban, and urban areas.

The volume examines the impact of civic literacy on political participation, specifically looking at how it influences voting behavior during local, assembly, and parliament elections. The findings are based on a combination of booth-level voting analysis and surveys on civic awareness and political participation.

Key questions addressed in this work include:

• What is the level of civic literacy and political participation among Indian citizens?

• How can civic literacy and political participation be measured?

• What variables influence these behaviors?

• How are civic literacy and political participation connected?

• To what extent do individuals vote individually, beyond caste and social identity?

• How mature is Indian democracy in terms of electoral behavior?

The book offers insights that will benefit students, teachers, and anyone involved in citizenship education, aiming to perfect democracy in India by enhancing procedural and substantive democratic practices.

Contents

1. Introduction

2. Electoral Campaigning

3. Administration of Polling Process and its Assessment

4. Religion- and Social Class-wise Voting Patterns at Booth-Level

5. Civic Literacy and Political Participation

6. How People Vote?

About the Authors

Lancy Lobo holds a doctorate in sociology from the Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi. He is the Director of the Centre for Culture and Development, Vadodara, and has previously served as Director at the Centre for Social Studies, Surat. With extensive research on dalits, tribals, OBCs, and minorities in Gujarat, Lobo has been an International Fellow at the Woodstock Centre, Georgetown University. He has authored and co-authored 17 books.

Jayesh Shah is a consultant at the Centre for Culture and Development. With a background in industrial relations, labour laws, psychology, and computer science, he has worked in senior management roles, including as the CEO of an international company. Shah has authored numerous articles and co-edited eight books. His research focuses on labour, employment, and industry.