Taxation and Turnout in Swedish Municipalities

Abstract

The link between taxation and representation is considered foundational to the emergence of demo-cratic governance. Nevertheless, the empirical relationship between taxation and the extent to which citizens actually exert representation by turning out to vote remains virtually unexplored. Using along panel, from 1979 to 2018, drawn from a relatively difficult case, Swedish municipalities, I find that hikes in local tax rates are linked to increased municipal voter turnout. Accounting for a wide range of confounders, including turnout in concurrent parliamentary elections, these results indicate an important untapped explanation for differences in turnout, while offering a rare explicit test ofthe taxation-representation argument drawn from a mature democracy.