It’s the Weather, Stupid! Individual Participation in Collective May Day Demonstrations

30 Pages Posted: 26 Oct 2010

Date Written: June 23, 2010

Abstract

We investigate the possible explanations of variations in aggregate levels of participation in large-scale political demonstrations. A simple public choice inspired model is applied to data derived from the annual May Day demonstrations of the Danish labour movement and socialist parties taking place in Copenhagen in the period 1980-2009. The most important explanatory variables are variations in the weather conditions. Political and socio-economic conditions exhibit few or no robust effects.

Keywords: Collective action, demonstrations, free-riding

JEL Classification: D70, H41, D72

Suggested Citation

Kurrild-Klitgaard, Peter, It’s the Weather, Stupid! Individual Participation in Collective May Day Demonstrations (June 23, 2010). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1697737 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1697737

Peter Kurrild-Klitgaard (Contact Author)

University of Copenhagen ( email )

Dept. of Political Science
Øster Farimagsgade 5, P.O.Box 2099
Copenhagen, DK-1014
Denmark
+45 35 32 37 98 (Phone)
+45 35 32 33 99 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.kurrild-klitgaard.net

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