Electoral Participation in a South Indian Context

The study of electoral participation takes a significant step forward with the publication of this book.Instead of focusing on individual decisions about voting or running for public office, Elkins has detailed the major social, economic, andpolitical forces which operate in broad regions of south India. Interpersonal networks, social structure, caste organization, party com petition, and other "contextual"influences are shown to account for more than half of the variation between districts, states, and regions in south India. The model of social structure and political change, furthermore, sheds new light on urbanization, socialmobilization, and political development. The book demonstrates that traditional forms of social organization are not necessarily replaced in the course of development; instead they may prove adaptable to "modern" political institution:s.Besides these substantive contributions, an important feature found only in this book is a series ef appendices which outline data sources and problems of analysis in their use. As such, the book can be used in part as a "handbook" of methodology on Indian electoral research.