Are legislators responsive to the priorities of the public? Research demonstrates a strong correspondence between the issues about which the public cares and the issues addressed by politicians, but conclusive evidence about who leads whom in setting the political agenda has yet to be uncovered. We answer this question with […] Read more »
Americans Say They Would Vote For A Woman, But …
… For months now, voters have told reporters that they want to elect a woman — but after Hillary Clinton’s loss in 2016, they simply can’t imagine a woman winning against Trump. And this calculus is often justified by beliefs about other people’s sexism — an Ipsos/Daily Beast poll in […] Read more »
Trump Lost the Citizenship Debate, but He’s Still Corroding Our Politics
Does Donald Trump present a threat to American democracy, or is the system restraining him? As last week’s debate over the Census citizenship question illustrates, the answer is often both. That’s why it’s so difficult to reach a consensus about the nature and magnitude of the danger he poses. CONT. […] Read more »
Politicians Don’t Actually Care What Voters Want
We like to think that politicians care about what their constituents want. If voters in a legislative district have certain views about, say, the legality of abortion, we assume that their representative’s decisions will be shaped, or at least influenced, by those views. To a large extent, democracy depends on […] Read more »
Is There Anyone Who Can Unite the Democrats Besides Trump?
… These days, it’s a given that Democratic candidates are going to be on the liberal side on issues like immigration, health care, school and housing desegregation, affirmative action, voting rights, criminal justice reform, taxes, guns and so on. It’s also a given that this stance often involves disruption of […] Read more »
Surprised by those Fourth of July tanks? Here’s what political science can tell us about nationalism, patriotism and public opinion.
… As the United States celebrates Independence Day with fireworks, flags and armored tanks, here’s what you should know about nationalism, patriotism and foreign policy attitudes. … Some people use the word patriotism as shorthand for “love of country” — a subjective feeling of inclusion in a national group that […] Read more »