Electoral behavior in Brazil, review and new studies

Abstract

In this text we analyze the path taken by social theories that address the phenomenon of electoral behavior, seeking to identify its place in political science. The review of this theoretical field has been split into four parts. Firstly, we present the main questions, concepts and theoretical development of the most important schools of thought: sociological, psychological or psychosocial and rational choice. We then discuss how these currents approaches address the issue of “voting decision”. Thirdly, we raise issues developed in the literature that, to a large extent, dialogue and are interdisciplinary, such as the role of the media, the formation of mindsets and emotions in the electoral process, the weight of information and political sophistication, and the importance of political institutions. Finally, we describe a historical balance of Brazilian academic production on electoral behavior, as well as its gaps and trends.