However, in as widespread and decentralized a project as this, there will obviously be differences in the mode of conducting surveys from one country to another. Users of the data will be well-advised to read all footnotes. A second module is about to be initiated for the period 2000-2003. The key theoretical question to be addressed by Module 2 is the contrast between the view that elections are a mechanism to hold government accountable and the view that they are a means to ensure that citizens' views and interests are properly represented in the democratic process. It is intended to explore how far this contrast and its embodiment in institutional structures influence vote choice and satisfaction with democracy.
All data are freely available.
Many countries deposited one or more weights together with CSES variables. A second release of the CSES Module 1 data, which will add another nine countries, will occur early this spring. The collaborators are loosely organized and constitute something of a floating pool. A stable core of policy leadership between plenary sessions rests with an international planning committee. This project is obviously based on huge voluntary contributions of survey time from the national organizations.