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Political Science

Selected Works

Mattias K Polborn

Polarization

Publication Year

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Political Competition In Legislative Elections, Stefan Krasa, Mattias K. Polborn May 2018

Political Competition In Legislative Elections, Stefan Krasa, Mattias K. Polborn

Mattias K Polborn

We develop a theory of political competition in legislative elections based upon the notion that majority  party legislators collaboratively influence policy.
Because of this team aspect, a candidate's party label  matters for voters, in addition to his own policy positions.  In equilibrium, candidates may be unable to escape the burden of their party association, and primary voters in both parties can often nominate extremist candidates and still win.
We also show that gerrymandering affects the equilibrium platforms not only in those districts that become more extreme, but also in those that ideologically do not change.

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Political Polarization And The Electoral Effects Of Media Bias, Mattias K. Polborn, Stefan Krasa, Dan Bernhardt Dec 2007

Political Polarization And The Electoral Effects Of Media Bias, Mattias K. Polborn, Stefan Krasa, Dan Bernhardt

Mattias K Polborn

Many political commentators diagnose an increasing polarization of the U.S. electorate into two opposing camps. However, in standard spatial voting models, changes in the political preference distribution are irrelevant as long as the position of the median voter does not change. We show that media bias provides a mechanism through which political polarization can affect electoral outcomes. In our model, media firms' profits depend on their audience rating. Maximizing profits may involve catering to a partisan audience by slanting the news. While voters are rational, understand the nature of the news suppression bias and update appropriately, important information is lost …

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