Abstract

The study of political institutions and voting behavior are generally kept far apart in contemporary political science theory. This separation is unfortunate, given that the two aspects of political life are, in practice, closely linked and an understanding of one can inform the understanding of the other. Elections are generally about the capacity to control an institution or multiple institutions. And institutions – notably legal institutions – shape the manner in which elections are conducted and can directly influence the outcomes. While some academic division of labor is inevitable, that division should not go so far as to exclude important factors arising in different elements of the discipline, or allied disciplines.