Political Behavior and Technology ― Voting Advice Applications in East Asia

This volume considers the operation of computerized voting advice applications (VAAs) and the consequences they have on voter behavior in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. As the use of VAAs grows beyond the large party systems of European parliamentary democracies into an Asian context, new questions are emerging about the nature of political information, its role in shaping vote choices, the implications of VAAs for parties, and the cultural and institutional mediation of these technologies. The evidence shows that VAA use in East Asia has significantly different implications than in the more familiar European cases where VAA use is quite common. Although VAAs are intended to simplify vote choices and encourage issue voting, the results here show that they increase participation among otherwise politically alienated populations and they may encourage voting for minor parties.

Da-chi Liao is Professor at the Institute of Political Science, National Sun-Yat-sen University, Taiwan. She is the editor of American Policy in Asia Pacific Region After 9-11 and Democratization, Globalization, and the Role of Parliaments. She also set up Taiwan's first iVoter Voting Advice Application at http://ivoternet.org/.

Boyu Chen is Assistant Professor at the Institute of Political Science, National Sun-Yat-sen University, Taiwan. He has published articles in East Asia, Pacific Focus, and International Relations of the Asia-Pacific.

Michael J. Jensen is Research Fellow at the Institute for Governance and Policy Analysis, University of Canberra, Australia. His recent articles have appeared in the Journal of Information Technology and Politics, Policy and Internet, and Information, Communication, and Society.