Age, Period, and Cohort Analysis With Bounding and Interactions

This article uses the example of voter turnout in US presidential elections to compare two new methods for age, period, and cohort (APC) analysis: the APC interaction model and the APC bounding analysis. While discussing the formal, conceptual, and interpretive differences between the two methods, the analysis demonstrates how both methods can be used to generate distinct but complementary findings. Because the two methods take alternative positions on the appropriate cohort-effect estimands, the comparison underscores the importance of well-grounded conceptual foundations in APC analysis.