Tufte (1978) and Hibbs (1987) both argue that there are two principle political influences on macroeconomic policy: partisanship and electoral incentives. However, they differ with regard to the emphasis they place on each influence. While Tufte emphasizes the influence of electoral incentives, Hibbs argues in favor of the influence of partisanship. Franzese’s (2002) review of electoral and partisan influences on macroeconomic outcomes suggests that there is more empirical evidence supporting Hibbs’ assertion. However, he also suggests that there is considerable room for an analysis of “context-conditional electoral and partisan cycles” (Franzese, 2002, p. 369). Bearing this in mind, I argue that incumbent politicians can switch between partisanship and electoral incentives when confronted with specific domestic conditions. In particular, I argue that incumbents will rationally choose to pursue an electorally oriented economic policy rather than a partisan policy under conditions of party weakness. More specifically, assuming that incumbents seek reelection as both Tufte and Hibbs suggest they do, they seek to use their status to influence the outcome of the election. Tufte argues that politicians will do so using “electioneering” methods while Hibbs finds evidence that incumbents follow policies that are in line with their party’s core beliefs. In a situation in which an incumbent believes his or her party’s core constituency to be too weak or fragmented to enable reelection, I argue that the incumbent will abandon a partisan policy in favor of Tuftian electioneering. Moreover, I consider within the US context, midterm elections as one signal an incumbent might consider when pursuing a partisan or electoral policy. I will first b...
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... monetary policy instruments that are able to target specific groups of margin voters. An incumbent’s party’s poor performance during midterm elections may be a signal that the incumbent’s constituency is dissatisfied or too weak to provide sufficient support for reelection. This claim might be empirically evaluated by first searching for instances in which incumbents have switched strategies by looking at evidence of inflation and policies characteristic of electorally-oriented policies.
Works Cited
Franzese, R. J., Jr. (2002). Electoral and partisan cycles in economic policies and outcomes. Annual Review of Political Science, 5, 369–421.
Hibbs, D. A., Jr. (1987). The American political economy: Macroeconomics and electoral politics. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Tufte, E. R. (1978). Political control of the economy. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Despite the overwhelming critics, Texas remains one of several states that keep supporting the concept of partisan judicial elections, where voters cast a straight-ticket vote. In fact, electing judges by the public leads to a number of ethical problems which necessarily require compromise between judicial integrity and independence. Most of the allegations of wrong-doing have caused a number of professional and citizen groups to become disaffected with the existing system.
Lofgren, Mike. The Party Is Over: How Republicans Went Crazy, Democrats Became Useless, and the Middle Class Got Shafted. New York: Viking, 2012. Print
There has been much speculation whether political parties have become too strong in American politics and if that is a good or bad thing. My belief is that political party power in the United States is just about right where I believe that there are some instances where political parties have been in situations where they have too much power and instances where it is moderate. First off, political parties are crucial to our democratic government because it is composed of a group of people that the constituents elect to represent their issues or achieve a common goal. Being part of a group that shares your common interests or goals is more powerful than tackling an issue by your self. It gives you more voice and power in government. Also, political
In this essay, I will explain why Texas should retain the partisan election of judges. Texas is one of the few states that elect their judges using a Partisan voting method. Partisan elections can be unfair and can misinform the voter. A high legal position such as a judge should never be chosen in such a manner. Partisan elections often cost more than nonpartisan elections in campaigning. Partisan elections are also more likely to lead to straight ticket voting or mindless voting. Partisan elections also lead to more campaign contributions and can increase the power of constituencies. Lastly partisan elections can cause an imbalance in equal represent the population. Therefore, Partisanship voting does not belong in the courts of Texas and
The United States of America has engaged in the battle known as political polarization since before its foundation in 1776. From the uprising against the powerful British nation to the political issues of today, Americans continue to debate about proper ideology and attempt to choose a side that closely aligns with their personal beliefs. From decade to decade, Americans struggle to determine a proper course of action regarding the country as a whole and will often become divided on important issues. Conflicts between supporters of slavery and abolitionists, between agriculturalists and industrialists, and between industrial workers and capitalists have fueled the divide. At the Congressional level there tends to be a more prevalent display of polarization and is often the blame of Congress’ inefficiency. James Madison intentionally designed Congress to be inefficient by instating a bicameral legislation. Ambition would counter ambition and prevent majority tyranny. George Washington advised against political parties that would contribute to polarization and misrepresentation in his Farewell Address of 1796. Washington warns, “One of the expedients of party to acquire influence within particular districts is to misrepresent the opinions and aims of other districts.” Today, the struggle to increase power between political parties results in techniques to gain even the smallest marginal gains. To truly understand political polarization, we must examine data collected through a variety of means, the effects of rapidly changing technology, and observe what techniques are used to create such a polarized political system.
In American politics today, many practices exist that greatly harm the American public. One of these dangerous practices, known as gerrymandering, occurs in nearly every state. While some claim that the practice helps America, in reality gerrymandering harms American democracy and safety. Gerrymandering greatly affects society, and must become illegal to insure fair representation, the democratic processes in America continues, and America continues to thrive.
Association (2003): 31-36. Cambridge Journals Online. American Political Science Association, 30 Jan. 2003. Web. 17 Mar. 2014.
Walter M. Simon The American Political Science Review , Vol. 45, No. 2 (Jun., 1951), pp. 386-399
A two-party system is a political system in which only two parties have a realistic opportunity to compete effectively for control. As a result, all, or nearly all, elected officials end up being a member in one of the two major parties. In a two-party system, one of the parties usually holds a majority in the legislature hence, being referred to as the majority party while the other party is the minority party. The United States of America is considered to be a two-party system. A two-party system emerged early in the history of the new Republic. Beginning with the Federalists and the Jeffersonian Republicans in the late 1780s, two major parties have dominated national politics, although which particular two parties has changed with the times and issues. During the nineteenth century, the Democrats and Republicans emerged as the two dominant parties in American politics. As the American party system evolved, many third parties emerged, but few of them remained in existence for very long. Today the Democrats and Republican still remain as the dominant parties. These two parties hav...
Higgs, Robert. "POLITICS & PROSPERITY." POLITICS PROSPERITY. N.p., 01 Sept. 2010. Web. 12 May 2014.
Kernell, Samuel, Jacobson, Gary C., Kousser, Thad, & Vavreck, Lynn. 2014. The Logic of American Politics 6th ed. Los Angeles: CQ Press
The pluralistic scholar David Truman notes that “the proliferation of political interest groups [is] a natural and largely benign consequence of economic development” (Kernell 2000, 429). That is, as American economic development increases, in the form of industry, trade, and technology, factions are produced in order to protect special interests. Factions have a large platform on which to find support from various political parties, committees, subcommittees, and the courts, as well as federal, state, and local governments (Kernell 2000, 429).
Weissert, C., & Halperin, K. (2007). The paradox of term limit support: to know them is not to love them. Political Research Quarterly, 60.3, 516-517.
Shapiro, Ian, Rogers M. Smith, and Tarek E. Masoud, eds. Problems and Methods in the Study of Politics. Cambridge ; Cambridge University Press, 2004.
The American Political System The American political system is a federal system, which consists of