Showing papers in "Political Research Quarterly in 2011"
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors identify five key considerations for adopting and mainstreaming intersectionality: the language and concepts that are used; the complexities of difference and how to navigate this complexity; the choice of focusing on identities, categories, processes and/or systems; the model that is used to explain and describe mutually constituted differences; and the principles that determine which interactions are analyzed.
Abstract: This article identifies five key considerations for adopting and mainstreaming intersectionality: the language and concepts that are used; the complexities of difference and how to navigate this complexity; the choice of focusing on identities, categories, processes, and/or systems; the model that is used to explain and describe mutually constituted differences; and the principles that determine which interactions are analyzed. The author argues that in the process of mainstreaming intersectionality, it is crucial to frame it as a form of social critique so as to foreground its radical capacity to attend to and disrupt oppressive vehicles of power.
453 citations
TL;DR: In comparison to research practices, intersectionality is an underdeveloped concept within policy discourse and application as discussed by the authors, and because of the complexity and relative newness of this approach, policy...
Abstract: In comparison to research practices, intersectionality is an underdeveloped concept within policy discourse and application. Because of the complexity and relative newness of this approach, policy ...
230 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that the gender composition of party gatekeepers plays a crucial role in either encouraging or discouraging women candidates to run for office in the United States, and they argue that women gatekeepers play crucial roles in candidate recruitment.
Abstract: The authors argue that the gender composition of party gatekeepers—those responsible for candidate recruitment— plays a crucial role in either encouraging or discouraging women candidates to run fo...
159 citations
TL;DR: The authors find that the two presidential tools, pork and coalition goods, function as imperfect substitutes for coalitional goods and that pork expenditures also depend upon a president's bargaining leverage and the distribution of legislative seats.
Abstract: How do presidents win legislative support under conditions of extreme multipartism? Comparative presidential research has offered two parallel answers, one relying on distributive politics and the other claiming that legislative success is a function of coalition formation. The authors merge these insights in an integrated approach to executive-legislative relations while also considering dynamism and particular bargaining contexts. The authors find that the two presidential “tools”—pork and coalition goods—function as imperfect substitutes. Coalition goods establish an exchange baseline, while pork covers the ongoing costs of operation. Pork expenditures also depend upon a president’s bargaining leverage and the distribution of legislative seats.
154 citations
TL;DR: This paper examined how climate problem indicator, high-profile international event, and climate science feedback influence media and congressional attention to global warming and climate change, and found that these attention-grabbing factors indeed generally promote issue salience, but these factors may work differently across agenda venues.
Abstract: Agenda theories suggest that problem indicator, focusing event, and information feedback enhance issue attention. However, few studies have systematically tested this. This study, using time series data and vector autoregression (VAR), examines how climate problem indicator, high-profile international event, and climate science feedback influence media and congressional attention to global warming and climate change. The findings confirm that these attention-grabbing factors indeed generally promote issue salience, but these factors may work differently across agenda venues. Attention inertia, interagenda interaction, and partisan advantage on agenda setting are also included and analyzed in the VAR modeling. Implications of the study and recommendations for future research are discussed in conclusion.
145 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors develop and test hypotheses regarding the individual sources of political consumerism in the United States and find that, similar to voting, education, political interest, and citizen duty, consumerism is enhanced by political distrust and general discontent.
Abstract: Political consumerism is the intentional buying or abstention from buying specific products for political, social, or ethical purposes. We develop and test hypotheses regarding the individual sources of political consumerism in the United States. Analysis of survey data shows that similar to voting, education, political interest, and citizen duty promote political consumerism. Akin to protest behavior, political consumerism is enhanced by political distrust and general discontent. In contrast to turnout, political consumerism significantly decreases with age. Given the extraelectoral and self-initiated nature of political consumerism, citizen initiative and a proclivity for individualized forms of activism are significant sources of political consumerism.
123 citations
TL;DR: Wang et al. as mentioned in this paper examined the case of the middle class in China, based on data collected from a probability-sample survey, and found that there is a negative correlation between dependence on the state and support for democracy.
Abstract: Do the middle classes in authoritarian, late-developing countries support democratization? Among scholars, there seems no clear consensus on this question. To fill this gap, this article examines the case of the middle class in China, based on data collected from a probability-sample survey. The findings from this study indicate (1) the middle class does not necessarily support democratization in authoritarian developing countries, (2) there is a negative correlation between the middle class’s dependence on the state and its support for democracy, and (3) the middle class’s perceived social and economic well-being is also negatively associated with its democratic support.
110 citations
TL;DR: This paper analyzed gender differences in members' speech participation on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives and found that women's underrepresentation, coupled with related challenges that female legislators face in a predominantly male institution, motivates congresswomen of both parties to speak at greater rates than congressmen.
Abstract: The authors analyze gender differences in members’ speech participation on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. Speeches increase members’ visibility and voice in the legislative process, providing opportunities for members to highlight their policy knowledge, constituents’ concerns, and partisan commitments. The authors hypothesize that women’s underrepresentation, coupled with the related challenges that female legislators face in a predominantly male institution, motivates congresswomen of both parties to speak at greater rates than congressmen. Analyzing over ten thousand floor speeches during the 103rd and 109th Congresses, the authors find strong support for their hypothesis, demonstrating that congresswomen’s participation in legislative debate increases their visibility and enhances women’s substantive representation.
102 citations
TL;DR: This paper found that the campaign played an important role in priming certain attitudes and that vote choices were driven by specific issue concerns rather than general dissatisfaction with the European Union or national governments.
Abstract: The process of establishing a constitution for Europe came to an end when voters in France and the Netherlands rejected the proposal. Analyzing both media coverage and survey data, this article seeks to disentangle the reasons why a majority of voters rejected the European Constitution. The authors’ findings suggest that the campaign played an important role in priming certain attitudes and that vote choices, in turn, were driven by specific issue concerns rather than general dissatisfaction with the European Union or national governments. These findings have implications not only for our understanding of direct democracy in Europe but also for the study of campaign effects.
94 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors develop and test an integrated framework for understanding how transaction cost and exchange embeddedness contribute to the general problems of institutional collection action, contracting, and cooperation.
Abstract: The authors develop and test an integrated framework for understanding how transaction cost and exchange embeddedness contribute to the general problems of institutional collection action, contracting, and cooperation. An application of the framework to Georgia cities’ interlocal cooperative behavior across multiple services suggests that interlocal cooperation provides a viable alternative to both private contracting and hierarchical arrangements and that transaction characteristics—asset specificity and measurement difficulties—and reciprocal exchange relationship predict the participation and the amount of interlocal cooperation. A curvilinear relationship was discovered between transaction characteristics and interlocal cooperation that extends Williamson’s linear prediction.
83 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that Latin America's market turn has had a demobilizing effect on collective political activity despite the presence of democracy, and they propose that the market turn may have a negative effect on political activity.
Abstract: Existing studies hold that Latin America’s market turn has had a demobilizing effect on collective political activity despite the presence of democracy. However, recent work has documented the revi...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that downloading forms may impose higher transaction costs than traditional outreached outreaches, and that voter registration activities may shift online and away from traditional modes of outreach.
Abstract: Lower transaction costs have shifted voter registration activities online and away from traditional modes of outreach. Downloading forms may impose higher transaction costs than traditional outreac...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors show that the number of lobbyists active in a given issue area is driven not only by social mobilizations and economic trends but also by government activity, and they find strong support for the congressional demand model of lobbying.
Abstract: The authors show that the number of lobbyists active in a given issue area is driven not only by social mobilizations and economic trends but also by government activity. The effect of government spending is smaller than that of congressional interest as reflected in the number of hearings. Much lobbying is in response to regulations, not budgets. The authors augment their analysis by considering indicators of presidential activities. In areas where the president is traditionally active, presidential activity is shown to divert lobbying away from Congress, reducing overall lobbying levels. The authors find strong support for the congressional demand model of lobbying.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigate whether female legislators provide more effective substantive representation on women's issues than their male colleagues, and find that female legislators are more likely to vote for women than men.
Abstract: Research investigating whether female legislators provide more effective substantive representation on women’s issues than their male colleagues faces a significant methodological hurdle. Models us...
TL;DR: The authors study how immigrants' premigration political socialization experiences shape their views of the new polity, and the extent to which this imported socialization affects their attitudes. But their work is limited to the case of immigrants.
Abstract: This article seeks to understand how immigrants’ premigration political socialization experiences shape their views of the new polity, the extent to which this imported socialization affects their ...
TL;DR: This article examined the "equality effects" of electoral reforms and found that some electoral reforms promote equality, while others further stratify the electorate, particularly when state registration rolls are already unrepresentative in terms of income groups.
Abstract: Over recent decades, the American states have implemented electoral reforms that make it easier for citizens to register and vote This article examines the “equality effects” of these reforms: the degree to which reform serves to equalize or further skew participation rates between the rich and poor Using the Voter Supplement to the Current Population Survey, the authors generate state-level estimates of income bias in registration and voting for elections from 1978 to 2008 Findings support their theory that some electoral reforms promote equality, while others further stratify the electorate—particularly when state registration rolls are already unrepresentative in terms of income groups
TL;DR: In this article, the authors hypothesize that questions often feature obscure and legalistic language that is difficult to comprehend and they hypothesize the language of ballot questions is often unclear, which may explain why questions are difficult to understand.
Abstract: Ballot questions often feature obscure and legalistic language that is difficult to comprehend. Because the language of ballot questions is often unclear, the authors hypothesize that questions wit...
TL;DR: Because Hispanic voters are seldom targeted for campaign communication and because they listen to radio at higher rates than non-Hispanics, Spanish-language radio represents an attractive venue for campaigns.
Abstract: Because Hispanic voters are seldom targeted for campaign communication and because they listen to radio at higher rates than non-Hispanics, Spanish-language radio represents an attractive venue for...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explain why citizens in postauthoritarian African democracies trust government-owned broadcast media more than they trust private broadcasters, given the public media's lack of independence and history of bias.
Abstract: Why do citizens in postauthoritarian African democracies trust government-owned broadcast media more than they trust private broadcasters, given the public media’s lack of independence and history ...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examine two seemingly opposed modes of place-making, urban sprawl and historic preservation, and their relationship to memory. But they do not discuss the relationship between the two modes.
Abstract: This article examines two seemingly opposed modes of place-making, urban sprawl and historic preservation, and their relationship to memory. The author contends that urban sprawl creates a landscap...
TL;DR: In the 2008 Democratic primary, Sen. Hillary Clinton, her supporters and advocates, feminist groups, and commentators accused the media of sexist coverage as discussed by the authors, and the media responded with sexist coverage.
Abstract: Throughout the 2008 Democratic primary, Senator Hillary Clinton, her supporters and advocates, feminist groups, and commentators accused the media of sexist coverage. Was Hillary Clinton treated di...
TL;DR: This article found that men and women are portrayed differently in campaigns, and that the extent of gender difference in campaigns is ambiguous, with ambiguous evidence on the extent gender difference. But they did not find any evidence that women were portrayed differently than men in campaigns.
Abstract: Are men and women portrayed differently in campaigns? Much scholarship and commentary expects that this is so, yet previous studies provide ambiguous evidence on the extent of gender difference.The...
TL;DR: Research suggests that endorsements should affect outcomes in low-information elections such as primaries, but that hypothesis has not yet been tested empirically as mentioned in this paper, based on a survey of 2002 congres...
Abstract: Research suggests that endorsements should affect outcomes in low-information elections such as primaries, but that hypothesis has not yet been tested empirically. Based on a survey of 2002 congres...
TL;DR: This paper found evidence that citizens' priorities about various spheres of representation differ across demographic groups and that these differences are subsequently reflected in the in-office behavior of their elected officials, finding that African Americans and Latinos are less concerned than whites with policy representation, but place more emphasis on their district receiving its fair share of federal money.
Abstract: The authors uncover evidence that citizens’ priorities about various spheres of legislative representation differ across demographic groups and that these differences are subsequently reflected in the in-office behavior of their elected officials. Specifically, African Americans and Latinos are less concerned than whites with policy representation—the attentiveness of elected officials to citizens’ policy preferences—but place more emphasis on their district receiving its fair share of federal money. Citizens with higher incomes place a higher priority on policy representation and less on constituency service than do those with lower incomes. Importantly, these priorities map onto their member of Congress’s behavior.
TL;DR: The authors argued that foundational intersectionality is the only method that sufficiently contextualizes the historical legacies constructing the political institution of marriage and that this method must incorporate the factor of religion, because religion is central to the politics of moral values.
Abstract: This article employs what the author calls “foundational” intersectional analysis to investigate the coalitional and rhetorical strategies mobilized by Proposition 8, a 2008 ballot initiative in California designed to eliminate the right of same-sex marriage. The author argues that foundational intersectionality is the only method that sufficiently contextualizes the historical legacies constructing the political institution of marriage and that this method must incorporate the factor of religion, because religion is central to the politics of “moral values.” The first part of the article differentiates foundational intersectionality from identity intersectionality as a framework. The author then sketches how marriage is a political institution constructed in the United States through the simultaneous interactions of gender, sexuality, race, and religion. The second part of the article applies the framework to an empirical analysis of four discursive strategies employed by pro— and anti—same-sex marriage ...
TL;DR: In this article, a multimethod analysis of earthquakes' effects in two enduring rivalries demonstrates that natural disaster can promote rapprochement, political steps toward warmer relations that make it difficult for interstate rivalry to continue.
Abstract: Multimethod analysis of earthquakes’ effects in two enduring rivalries demonstrates that natural disaster can promote rapprochement, political steps toward warmer relations that make it difficult for interstate rivalry to continue. Public expression of compassion and support for rapprochement create audience costs for leaders who otherwise would maintain hostile policies toward the rival state. However, routine violence, including communal violence, discourages public support for postdisaster cooperation and rapprochement. Content analysis and time-series analysis of rivalry change in two cases, India—Pakistan and Greece—Turkey, demonstrate these phenomena, and comparative case study analysis shows that communal violence helps account for divergent outcomes between the two cases.
TL;DR: The authors developed the argument that industries that employ immigrants have a substantial impact on policy decisions in some states and also suggested that the response of state policy makers to public pressure for more restrictive immigrant policy may be moderated by the political and economic importance of those industries.
Abstract: Despite the negative rhetoric surrounding the immigration issue, recent policy in many states has provided significant benefits to both legal and undocumented immigrants. Previous scholarship on state-level immigrant policy suggests that differences in the degree of public animosity toward this group may help to explain variation in state policy, but that work largely neglects the influence that industries that employ immigrants may have on state policy decisions. This essay develops the argument that industries that employ immigrants have a substantial impact on policy decisions in some states. It also suggests that the response of state policy makers to public pressure for more restrictive immigrant policy may be moderated by the political and economic importance of those industries. The authors test specific assertions drawn from this argument in an analysis of immigrant policy making in the American states between 2005 and 2007.
TL;DR: A shift in methodological emphasis from the observable properties of a sample to its unobservable properties, that is, judgments about the process by which the data were gene-exposed, has been seen in this paper.
Abstract: Recent years have seen a shift in methodological emphasis from the observable properties of a sample to its unobservable properties, that is, judgments about the process by which the data were gene...
TL;DR: In this article, the consequences of judicial campaign activity for the perceived legitimacy of the Pennsylvania judiciary were investigated, and the authors found that politicized campaign activity had a profound impact on the perception of judicial legitimacy.
Abstract: The purpose of this article is to investigate the consequences of judicial campaign activity for the perceived legitimacy of the Pennsylvania judiciary. The authors find that politicized campaign a...
TL;DR: The authors found that the groups most affected by the president's speeches are not always his core constituency but often his putative opponents, and that this opinion change by the noncore groups is often limited to direct presidential addresses and evaluations of the president’s personal qualities.
Abstract: Evidence is mounting that presidents find difficulty in leading public opinion. However, focusing on presidential ability to lead mass opinion may underestimate the degree to which presidents are able to rally key groups on political and personal characteristics. In this article, the authors use an experimental design to test the effect of communication mode across issue types and groups. From three of President Bush’s speeches on Iraq (the State of the Union, an Oval Office address, and a press conference), the data show that by going public the president can influence political opinions across certain issue types and groups. Among the findings are that the groups most affected by the president’s speeches are not always his core constituency but often his putative opponents. However, this opinion change by the noncore groups is often limited to direct presidential addresses and evaluations of the president’s personal qualities. The implication is that writing off presidential leadership as totally ineffe...