ABSTRACT
This chapter surveys the key concerns and arguments in the empirical studies of political participation, and relates them to East Asia. Political scientists are led to explain citizen behaviors as caused by an array of internal and external factors. The Socio-Economic Status model is often deemed as the primary theory explaining variations in political involvement. In the study of political behaviors, an institutional or institutionalist approach emphasizes the centrality of political and legal institutions in determining citizens' actions and behaviors. The chapter focuses on electoral participation, contacting governmental officials, and contacting influential people outside government. Given the centrality of political participation in linking citizens to the state, to policymaking, and to policy implementation, it should continue to occupy a central position in political research. The moving target of modes of participation must be put against the complex mechanisms at work regarding how socioeconomic, political-institutional, and psychological-motivational factors affect participation.
