It's the weather, stupid! Individual participation in collective May Day demonstrations

TY - JOUR

T1 - It's the weather, stupid! Individual participation in collective May Day demonstrations

AU - Kurrild-Klitgaard, Peter

PY - 2013/6

Y1 - 2013/6

N2 - We investigate the possible explanations for variations in aggregate levels of participation in large-scale political demonstrations. A simple public choice inspired model is applied to data derived from the annual May Day demonstrations of the Danish labor movement and socialist parties taking place in Copenhagen in the period 1980-2011. The most important explanatory variables are variations in the weather conditions and consumer confidence, while political and socio-economic conditions exhibit no robust effects. As such accidental or non-political factors may be much more important for collective political action than usually acknowledged and possibly make changes in aggregate levels of political support seem erratic and unpredictable.

AB - We investigate the possible explanations for variations in aggregate levels of participation in large-scale political demonstrations. A simple public choice inspired model is applied to data derived from the annual May Day demonstrations of the Danish labor movement and socialist parties taking place in Copenhagen in the period 1980-2011. The most important explanatory variables are variations in the weather conditions and consumer confidence, while political and socio-economic conditions exhibit no robust effects. As such accidental or non-political factors may be much more important for collective political action than usually acknowledged and possibly make changes in aggregate levels of political support seem erratic and unpredictable.

KW - Faculty of Social Sciences

KW - Collective action

KW - Demonstrations

KW - Free-riding

U2 - 10.1007/s11127-012-9914-3

DO - 10.1007/s11127-012-9914-3

M3 - Journal article

SN - 0048-5829

VL - 155

SP - 251

EP - 271

JO - Public Choice

JF - Public Choice

IS - 3-4

ER -