Germany’s future electors

Nora E. Sánchez Gassen analyses how demographic trends and electoral law have influenced the German electorate in the past and projects their future impact. A set of population projections illustrates how the size and age structure of the electorate will change until 2030 due to ongoing demographic changes. Additional analyses reveal how reforms of electoral law and citizenship law could be used to influence these trends. Overall, the author combines demographic methods with democratic theory in order to investigate a topic that has so far received little attention in discussions on demographic change: the future of the democratic system.

Contents

• The influence of legal and demographic changes on the development of the electorate
• Demographic projections: The influence of demographic trends on the development of the electorate
• Policy scenarios: The influence of legal changes on the development of the electorate
• The development of the German electorate: Trends and consequences

Target Groups

• Political Scientists (areas of study: democratic theory, political systems and institutions, electoral studies) and Demographers (areas of study: population projections, population ageing, migration/integration)
• Persons working in ministries, parties and public administration, interest groups (migrant organisations, foundations and institutions who are interested in the rights of future generations)

The Author

Nora E. Sánchez Gassen is a Research Fellow at the ESRC Research Centre for Population Change of the University of Southampton (UK).