[Erikson] = Erikson, Robert S., and Kent L. Tedin. American Public Opinion: Its Origins, Content, and Impact. 8th ed. Pearson, 2010. ISBN: 9780205745432.
[Ansolabehere] = Ansolabehere, Stephen, and James M. Snyder, Jr. The End of Inequality: One Person, One Vote and the Transformation of American Politics. W. W. Norton & Company, 2008. ISBN: 9780393931037.
[Gilens] = Gilens, Martin. Affluence & Influence: Economic Inequality and Political Power in America. Princeton University Press, 2012. ISBN: 9780691153971. [Preview with Google Books]
| SES # | TOPICS | READINGS |
|---|---|---|
| I: Introduction | ||
| 1 | Introduction: what this class is about | |
| 2 & 3 | Theoretical conceptions of democratic representation |
Madison, James. "The Federalist, No. 10: The Utility of the Union as a Safeguard Against Domestic Faction and Insurrection (continued)." constitution.org. [Gilens] Chapter 1: "Citizen Competence and Democratic Decision Making." Eulau, Heinz, and Paul D. Karps. "The Puzzle of Representation: Specifying Components of Responsiveness." Legislative Studies Quarterly 2, no. 3 (1977): 233–54. [Gilens] Chapter 3: "The Preference/Policy Link." pp. 71–3. Dahl, Robert A. "What the Framers Couldn't Know." Chapter 2 in How Democratic is the American Constitution? 2nd ed. Yale University Press, 2002, pp. 7–20. ISBN: 9780300092189. |
| II: Public opinion | ||
| 4 | The origins of public opinion: ideology, interests, and partisanship |
[Erikson] Chapter 1: "Public Opinion in Democratic Societies." pp. 1–8. Friedman, Milton. "Introduction." In Capitalism and Freedom: Fortieth Anniversary Edition. University of Chicago Press, 1982. ISBN: 9780226264219. ———. "The Relation between Economic Freedom and Political Freedom." Chapter 1 in Capitalism and Freedom: Fortieth Anniversary Edition. University of Chicago Press, 1982. ISBN: 9780226264219. ———. "The Role of Government in a Free Society." Chapter 2 in Capitalism and Freedom: Fortieth Anniversary Edition. University of Chicago Press, 1982. ISBN: 9780226264219. Kuttner, Robert. "The Limits of Markets," December 19, 2001, prospect.org. [Erikson] Chapter 3: "Microlevel Opinion: The Psychology of Opinion-Holding." Lenz, Gabriel S. "Following, Not Leading." Chapter 8 in Follow The Leader?: How Voters Respond to Politicians' Policies and Performance. University of Chicago Press, 2012. ISBN: 9780226472140. |
| 5 | The origins of public opinion: analysis of public opinion issues | No reading. Come to class prepared to talk about a public opinion issue. |
| 6 | Measuring public opinion |
[Erikson] Chapter 1: "Public Opinion in Democratic Societies." pp. 9–18. [Erikson] Chapter 2: "Polling: The Scientific Assessment of Public Opinion." pp. 25–50. [Erikson] Chapter 7: "Group Differences in Political Opinions." pp. 190–203. Erikson, Robert S., Gerald C. Wright, and John P. McIver. "Measuring state partisanship and ideology." Chapter 2 in Statehouse Democracy: Public Opinion and Policy in the American States. Cambridge University Press, 1994. ISBN: 9780521424059. [Preview with Google Books] ———. "Accounting for state differences in opinion." Chapter 3 in Statehouse Democracy: Public Opinion and Policy in the American States. Cambridge University Press, 1994. ISBN: 9780521424059. [Preview with Google Books] Brace, Paul, Kellie Sims-Butler, et al. "Public Opinion in the American States: New Perspectives Using National Survey Data." American Journal of Political Science 46, no. 1 (2002): 173–89. |
| III. Why would we expect elected officials to care about public opinion? | ||
| 7a | Introduction | [Erikson] Chapter 1: "Public Opinion in Democratic Societies." pp. 19–21. |
| 7b | The median voter & electoral accountability |
Mayhew, David R. "The Electoral Incentive." Chapter 1 in Congress: The Electoral Connection. 2nd ed. Yale University Press, 2004, pp. 13–7. ISBN: 9780300105872. Ansolabehere, Stephen, and Phillip Edward Jones. "Constituents' Responses to Congressional Roll-Call Voting." American Journal of Political Science 54, no. 3 (2010): 583–97. Canes-Wrone, Brandice, David W. Brady, et al. "Out of Step, Out of Office: Electoral Accountability and House Members' Voting." American Political Science Review 96, no. 1 (2002): 127–40. |
| 8a | Primary constituencies | Brady, David W., Hahrie Han, et al. "Primary Elections and Candidate Ideology: Out of Step with the Primary Electorate?" Legislative Studies Quarterly 32, no. 1 (2007): 79–105. |
| 8b | Elites |
[Gilens] Chapter 3: "The Preference/Policy Link." pp. 77–87. Reading 1 on Research DesignJohnson, Janet Buttolph, and H.T. Reynolds. "The Building Blocks of Social Scientific Research: Hypotheses, Concepts, and Variables." In Political Science Research Methods. 6th ed. CQ Press, 2007. ISBN: 9780872894426. |
| IV. Factors that could lead to undemocratic outcomes | ||
| 9 | Malapportionment |
Dahl, Robert A. "The Constitution as a Model: An American Illusion." Chapter 3 in How Democratic is the American Constitution? 2nd ed. Yale University Press, 2002, pp. 46–54. ISBN: 9780300092189. [Ansolabehere] Part I: "The Old Order." |
| 10 | Unequal voter turnout |
Jacobson, Gary C. "Congressional Voters." Chapter 5 in The Politics of Congressional Elections. 8th ed. Pearson, 2012, pp. 113–6. ISBN: 9780205251766. Griffin, John D., and Brian Newman. "Are Voters Better Represented?" Journal of Politics 67, no. 4 (2005): 1206–27. Leighley, Jan E., and Jonathan Nagler. |
| 11a | Unequal policy knowledge among voters |
Gilens, Martin. "Political Ignorance and Collective Policy Preferences." American Political Science Review 95, no. 2 (2001): 379–96. Bartels, Larry M. "Homer Gets a Tax Cut: Inequality and Public Policy in the American Mind." Perspectives on Politics 3, no. 1 (2005): 15–31. |
| 11b | Unequal financial resources |
Lessig, Lawrence. "Big Campaign Spending: Government by the 1%," The Atlantic, July 10, 2012. Ansolabehere, Stephen, John M. de Figueiredo, et al. "Why is There so Little Money in U.S. Politics?" Journal of Economic Perspectives 17, no. 1 (2003): 105–30. |
| 12 | Special interests: foundations |
Truman, David B. "Groups and Society." Chapter 2 in The Governmental Process: Political Interests and Public Opinion. Praeger, 1981. ISBN: 9780313229121. ———. "Groups and Government: Introduction." Chapter 3 in The Governmental Process: Political Interests and Public Opinion. Praeger, 1981. ISBN: 9780313229121. ———. "Group Politics and Representative Democracy." Chapter 16 in The Governmental Process: Political Interests and Public Opinion. Praeger, 1981. ISBN: 9780313229121. ———. "Introduction to 2E." In The Governmental Process: Political Interests and Public Opinion. Praeger, 1981. ISBN: 9780313229121. Schattschneider, E. E. "The Scope and Bias of the Pressure System." Chapter 2 in The Semisovereign People: A Realist's View of Democracy in America. Cengage Learning, 1975. ISBN: 9780030133664. Olson, Mancur. "The Logic of Collective Action." Chapter 12, Section 62 in The Enduring Debate: Classic & Contemporary Readings in American Politics. 7th ed. Edited by David T. Canon, John J. Coleman, and Kenneth R. Mayer. W. W. Norton & Company, 2013. ISBN: 9780393921588. |
| 13 | Special interests: interest groups today |
Hall, Richard L., and Alan V. Deardorff. "Lobbying as Legislative Subsidy." American Political Science Review 100, no. 1 (2006): 69-84. Kersh, Rogan. "The Well-Informed Lobbyist: Information and Interest Group Lobbying." Chapter 17 in Interest Group Politics. 7th ed. Edited by Allan J. Cigler and Burdett A. Loomis. CQ Press, 2006. ISBN: 9781933116761. Kollman, Ken. "Introduction." Chapter 1 in Outside Lobbying: Public Opinion & Interest Group Strategies. Princeton University Press, 1998. ISBN: 9780691017419. [Preview with Google Books] Currinder, Marian, Joanne Connor Green, and M. Margaret Conway. "Interest Group Money in Elections." Chapter 8 in Interest Group Politics. 7th ed. Edited by Allan J. Cigler and Burdett A. Loomis. CQ Press, 2006. ISBN: 9781933116761. [Gilens] Chapter 5: "Interest Groups and Democratic Responsiveness." pp. 124–40. |
| 14 | Incumbency bias |
Jacobson, Gary C. "Congressional Candidates." Chapter 3 in The Politics of Congressional Elections. 8th ed. Pearson, 2012, pp. 27–54. ISBN: 9780205251766. King, Gary, and Andrew Gelman. "Systemic Consequences of Incumbency Advantage in U.S. House Elections." American Journal of Political Science 35, no. 1 (1991): 110–38. Ansolabehere, Stephen, and James M. Snyder, Jr. "The Incumbency Advantage in U.S. Elections: An Analysis of State and Federal Offices, 1942–2000." Election Law Journal 1, no. 3 (2002): 315–38. |
| 15 | Super-majority rules in legislatures |
Alberts, Susan, Chris Warshaw, and Barry R. Weingast. "Democratization and Countermajoritarian Institutions: Power and Constitutional Design In Self-Enforcing Democracy." Chapter 4 in Comparative Constitutional Design: Comparative Constitutional Law and Policy. Edited by Tom Ginsburg. Cambridge University Press. 2012. ISBN: 9781107020566. [Preview with Google Books] Krehbiel, Keith. "Basics." Chapter 1 in Pivotal Politics: A Theory of U.S. Lawmaking. University of Chicago Press, 1998. ISBN: 9780226452722. [Preview with Google Books] ———. "A Theory." Chapter 2 in Pivotal Politics: A Theory of U.S. Lawmaking. University of Chicago Press, 1998. ISBN: 9780226452722. [Preview with Google Books] ———. "Gridlock." Chapter 3 in Pivotal Politics: A Theory of U.S. Lawmaking. University of Chicago Press, 1998. ISBN: 9780226452722. [Preview with Google Books] |
| V. Representation of opinions and interests | ||
| 16 | Do policy outcomes represent the views of voters? |
[Erikson] Chapter 10: "The Public and Its Elected Leaders." [Erikson] Chapter 11: "Public Opinion and the Performance of Democracy." pp. 322–32. Erikson, Robert S., Gerald C. Wright, and John P. McIver. "Public opinion and policy in the American states." Chapter 4 in Statehouse Democracy: Public Opinion and Policy in the American States. Cambridge University Press, 1994. ISBN: 9780521424059. [Preview with Google Books] [Gilens] Chapter 3: "The Preference/Policy Link." pp. 73–7. Stimson, James A., Michael B. MacKuen, and Robert S. Erikson. "Dynamic Representation." Chapter 10 in Principles and Practice of American Politics: Classic and Contemporary Readings. 4th ed. Edited by Samuel Kernell and Steven S. Smith. CQ Press, 2009, pp. 488–91. ISBN: 9781604264630. |
| 17a | Are certain groups systematically over or under-represented in the policy process?: Income & class |
Bartels, Larry M. "Economic Inequality and Political Representation." Chapter 9 in Unequal Democracy: The Political Economy of the New Gilded Age. Princeton University Press, 2010. ISBN: 9780691146232. [Gilens] Chapter 3: "The Preference/Policy Link." pp. 88–96. ———. "Policy Consequences of Representational Inequality." Chapter 9 in Who Gets Represented? Edited by Peter K. Enns and Christopher Wlezien. Russell Sage Foundation, 2011. ISBN: 9780871542427. [Preview with Google Books] Brunner, Eric, Stephen L. Ross, et al. |
| 17b | Are certain groups systematically over or under-represented in the policy process?: Interests | [Gilens] Chapter 5: "Interest Groups and Democratic Responsiveness." pp. 140–61. |
| VI. Institutional reforms to improve representation | ||
| 18 | One-person, one-vote |
Cox, Gary W., and Jonathan N. Katz. "Part I: Introduction." In Elbridge Gerry's Salamander: The Electoral Consequences of the Reapportionment Revolution. Cambridge University Press, 2002. ISBN: 9780521001540. [Preview with Google Books] [Ansolabehere] Part III: "Politics Remade." pp. 187–240. Reading 2 on Research DesignJohnson, Janet Buttolph, and H. T. Reynolds. "Nonexperimental Designs." In Political Science Research Methods. 6th ed. CQ Press, 2011. ISBN: 9780872894426. |
| 19 | Term limits |
Carey, John M. "The electoral disconnection?" Chapter 1 in Term Limits and Legislative Representation. Cambridge University Press, 1998. ISBN: 9780521646017. [Preview with Google Books] Kousser, Thad. "Introduction." Chapter 1 in Term Limits and the Dismantling of State Legislative Professionalism. Cambridge University Press, 2005. ISBN: 9780521548731. [Preview with Google Books] ———. "The Production of Policy Innovation." Chapter 7 in Term Limits and the Dismantling of State Legislative Professionalism. Cambridge University Press, 2005. ISBN: 9780521548731. [Preview with Google Books] ———. "Term Limits and State Legislatures." Chapter 8 in Democracy in the States: Experiments in Election Reform. Edited by Bruce E. Cain, Todd Donovan, and Caroline J. Tolbert. Brookings Institution Press, 2008. ISBN: 9780815713371. |
| 20 | Direct democracy |
Bowler, Shaun, and Todd Donovan. "The Initiative Process." Chapter 5 in Politics in the American States: A Comparative Analysis. CQ Press, 2012. ISBN: 9781608719983. [Preview with Google Books] Gerber, Elisabeth R. "Legislative Response to the Threat of Popular Initiatives." American Journal of Political Science 40, no. 1 (1996): 99–128. Lupia, Arthur and John G. Matsusaka. "Direct Democracy: New Approaches to Old Questions." Annual Review of Political Science 7 (2004): 463–82. |
| 21 | Elected judges |
Huber, Gregory A., and Sanford C. Gordon. "Accountability and Coercion: Is Justice Blind when It Runs for Office?" American Journal of Political Science 48, no. 2 (2004): 247–63. Cann, Damon M. "Justice for Sale? Campaign Contributions and Judicial Decisionmaking." State Politics & Policy Quarterly 7, no. 3 (2007): 281–97. Brace, Paul and Brent D. Boyea. "State Public Opinion, the Death Penalty, and the Practice of Electing Judges." American Journal of Political Science 52, no. 2 (2008): 360–72. |
| 22 | Non-partisan redistricting |
Cain, Bruce. E. Chapter 9 in The Reapportionment Puzzle. University of California Press, 1984. ISBN: 9780520050280. Chen, Jowei, and Jonathan Rodden. "Unintentional Gerrymandering: Political Geography and Electoral Bias in Legislatures." Quarterly Journal of Political Science 8, no. 3 (2013): 239–69. Goedert, Nicholas. McDonald, Michael P. "Legislative Redistricting." Chapter 10 in Democracy in the States: Experiments in Election Reform. Edited by Bruce E. Cain, Todd Donovan, and Caroline J. Tolbert. Brookings Institution Press, 2008. ISBN: 9780815713371. |
| 23 | Changing the primary process |
Gerber, Elisabeth R., and Rebecca B. Morton. "Primary Election Systems and Representation." Journal of Law, Economics, & Organization 14, no. 2 (1998): 304–24. Kaufmann, Karen M., James G. Gimpel, et al. "A Promise Fulfilled? Open Primaries and Representation." Journal of Politics 65, no. 2 (2003): 457–76. McGee, Eric, Seth Masket, et al. |
| 24 | Campaign finance rules |
Hogan, Robert E. "The Costs of Representation in State Legislatures: Explaining Variation in Campaign Spending." Social Science Quarterly 81, no. 4 (2000): 941–56. [Gilens] Chapter 8: "Money and American Politics." Skaggs, Adam, and Fred Wertheimer. "Empowering Small Donors in Elections." August 22, 2012. brennancenter.org. Stratmann, Thomas, and Francisco J. Aparicio-Castillo. "Competition policy for elections: Do campaign contribution limits matter?" Public Choice 127, no. 1–2 (2006): 177–206. |
| 25 | Convenience voting |
Gronke, Paul, Eva Galanes-Rosenbaum, et al. "Convenience Voting." Annual Review of Political Science 11 (2008): 437–55. Meredith, Marc, and Neil Malhotra. "Convenience Voting Can Affect Election Outcomes." (PDF) Springer, Melanie J. "State Electoral Institutions and Voter Turnout In Presidential Elections, 1920–2000." State Politics & Policy Quarterly 12, no. 3 (2012): 252–83. |
