The Evolution of Partisan Conventions, 1880-1940
نویسنده
چکیده
This paper models partisanship and nonpartisanship as alternative norms or conventions of behavior. Evolutionary game theoretic techniques are used to analyze the selection of partisanship or nonpartisanship by a population interacting over time. Equilibrium selection in the model is driven by the varying observability of partisan behavior introduced by electoral institutions, coupled with the inverse relationship between the observability of partisan actions, and that of nonpartisan inactions. The model suggests that institutions which increase the observability of partisan actions also increase the likelihood that those actions will be taken. Conversely, institutions which decrease the observability of partisan actions thereby decrease the likelihood that such actions will be taken. We test the theoretical results from our model on aggregate levels of split ticket voting across states in the U.S. between 1880 and 1940. We find considerable support for the model in time series cross section (TSCS) estimates of the effects of electoral institutions on levels of partisanship across states, support which is undiminished after corrections for endogeneity and selection bias.
منابع مشابه
Electoral Institutions and the Evolution of Partisan Conventions, 1880-1940
This article examines variation in partisanship levels across the United States between 1880 and 1940 and suggests that the introduction of three electoral laws in this time period—party registration, primaries and secret ballots—can explain the geographic variation in partisanship levels across the United States during this era. Specifically, the article argues that the introduction of party r...
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