Effects of social norms and fractionalization on voting behaviour in Japan

This article uses prefecture-level panel data from Japan, spanning the period 1989-2003, to examine the influence of social norms and fractionalization on voting behaviour. The key findings obtained from analysis via the fixed effects estimation, which controls for unobserved prefecture-specific fixed effects, are as follows: (1) the voter turnout is higher in close-knit communities, indicating that social norms enhance voting; (2) fractionalization, from both economic and generational standpoints, lowers the voter turnout and (3) a lack of social capital can lead to the distribution of votes being spread thinly among the competing parties.