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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
The Rise Of Agenda Diversity In America: Its Cause And Consequences, John K. Wagner
The Rise Of Agenda Diversity In America: Its Cause And Consequences, John K. Wagner
Political Science ETDs
More than ever, Americans disagree on what issues are important. This diversity in the public agenda has received scant attention in recent years. Consequently, our understanding of why agenda diversity developed relies on a single analysis method, and we know next to nothing about the consequences for the American polity. Using a novel approach to measuring agenda diversity and an advanced experimental design, this dissertation demonstrates the causal connection between issue-based selective exposure to news and higher agenda diversity. Concerning its consequences, this work investigates congressional responsiveness. Results from a complex analysis of constituency public opinion, Congress bill sponsorship, and …
Cross-Pressured: Agriculture, Immigration, And Congressional Gop Position-Taking, Jared William Clay
Cross-Pressured: Agriculture, Immigration, And Congressional Gop Position-Taking, Jared William Clay
Political Science ETDs
Why are Republican (GOP) members of the Congress bucking their party’s positions on immigration? I argue this is due to agriculture’s large-scale production needs for an immigrant, Latino workforce. Consequently, this immigration influx can excite racial threats which can provoke opposition to immigration and minority interests. This raises an interesting question: Do the agricultural transition and an immigrant workforce cross-pressure district opinion and MCs’ position-taking on immigration and Latino interests more broadly? I assert agriculture’s economic pressure mitigates racial threats, which produces greater support of immigration and Latino issues. Using data from the Congressional Cooperative Election Survey, Congress.gov, Census of …
The Legislative Recycling Bin: A Reevaluation Of The Policy Process, Angelina L. González-Aller
The Legislative Recycling Bin: A Reevaluation Of The Policy Process, Angelina L. González-Aller
Political Science ETDs
Congressional scholarship has long sought to understand the conditions under which a member of Congress is successful in converting a policy idea into a law. Two areas of this research, the bill sponsorship literature and the legislative effectiveness literature, have developed scholarly understanding on both the motivations and outcomes of bill sponsorship, as well as illuminating the conditions under which a bill is more likely to become law. The empirical approaches of these areas of study however, do not adequately capture the complexities of Congress. Most studies of the legislative process treat bill sponsorship and the policy process as a …