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TRANSCRIPT
Recapping Madison’s Republic Participation Costs Bias & Madison’s Theory
Variation in Citizen Participation: Resources &Free-Riding Incentive
Carlos [email protected]
October 10, 2017
Carlos Algara Introduction to American Politics: Meeting 4
Recapping Madison’s Republic Participation Costs Bias & Madison’s Theory
Agenda
1 Recapping Madison’s Republic
2 Participation Costs
3 Bias & Madison’s Theory
Carlos Algara Introduction to American Politics: Meeting 4
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Recapping Madison’s Republic Participation Costs Bias & Madison’s Theory
Formalizing The Republic Theory of GovernmentRepresenting Faction (Primarily Federalist 10)
I Human Nature →1 Factions ↔2 RepresentationI Where: →1 = Self-interest & ↔2 = ElectionsI Election & re-election (↔2) critical to theory: protects
against agency loss by faction (voters)
Harnessing Self-Interest & Ensuring Conflict (Federalist 51)I Three Departments: Congress ⇔ President ⇔ JudiciaryI Bicameralism of Congress: U.S. House ⇔ U.S. SenateI Federalism: State governments ⇔ Federal governmentI Where ⇔ = conflict & “constitutional rights of place” (i.e.
checks & balances/dependence of action)I Result: strong status-quo bias, why?I Differing incentives insured primarily by varying terms &
constituencyCarlos Algara Introduction to American Politics: Meeting 4
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Recapping Madison’s Republic Participation Costs Bias & Madison’s Theory
Revisiting Madison’s Theory of the Republic
I Opening Question1: Why is Madison fundamentally concernedabout the effects of human nature?
I Opening Question2: Given that Madison does not seek tolimit liberty & control the causes of human nature, how doeshis institutional setup control the effects?
I Opening Question3: What is one of the main criticismscontemporary political scientists with respect to Madison’sTheory of the Republic?
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Recapping Madison’s Republic Participation Costs Bias & Madison’s Theory
Variation in Political Participation: Voter Turnout
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Recapping Madison’s Republic Participation Costs Bias & Madison’s Theory
Variation in Political Participation: Voter Turnout
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Recapping Madison’s Republic Participation Costs Bias & Madison’s Theory
Defining Political Participation
I Political Participation: Any activity that citizens canundertake to influence government action
I What are some examples of political participation?I Writing/calling member of CongressI Giving to campaigns/political organizationsI Attending rallies & getting out the voteI Running for office (from school board to U.S.
Senate/President)I How does Madison conceptualize political participation?I Believes citizens are motivated by some common impulse of
passion (self-interest), which guides political behaviorI Problem with Madison’s model of participation?
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Recapping Madison’s Republic Participation Costs Bias & Madison’s Theory
Participation Costs
I Madisonian Theory of human behavior ignores the problem ofcollective action & the constant incentive to free-ride
I How is political participation a costly enterprise?I Intrinsic costs to participation:
I Shoe-leather walking to polling station/attending rallyI Time off work to voteI Time at DMV to receive “voter ID” cardI Costs related to operational act of participation
I Information costs to participation:I Developing set of issue beliefs (ideology)I Gathering information of candidate positions & ballot
propositionsI Study how election of single representative affects ideological
distribution of legislatureI Information costs inherently tied to development of political
self-interest (preferences)Carlos Algara Introduction to American Politics: Meeting 4
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Recapping Madison’s Republic Participation Costs Bias & Madison’s Theory
Variation in Various Forms of Political Participation
89.4%
10.6%
71.7%
28.3%
32.6%
67.4%
80%
20%
84.7%
15.3%
45.6%54.4%
96.3%
3.7%
36.7% 33.4%20.3%
7.5% 2%
94.5%
5.5%
Voted in the 2012 Presidential Election? Voted in the 2012 Presidential Primaries? Work for a candidate or campaign?
Forwarded a story, photo, video or link about politics to friends? Put up a political sign? Time took to vote
Attend local political meetings? Donate money to a candidate, campaign, or political organization? Ever run for elective office?
No Yes No Yes No Yes
No Yes No Yes 0 No Wait
1 2 3 4 >1 Hour
No Yes No Yes No Yes0
25
50
75
100
0
25
50
75
100
0
25
50
75
100
Wei
ghte
d P
erce
ntag
e
Variation in Different Activities of Political Participation, 2016 Cooperative Congressional Election Study
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Recapping Madison’s Republic Participation Costs Bias & Madison’s Theory
America’s Ignorant Voters?
I What is the thesis presented by Schudson’s argument in thearticle?
I While some argue: “How can the U.S. claim to be a modeldemocracy if its citizens know so little about political life?”,Schudson argues that informed citizenry not what foundersenvisioned
I Why are Americans ignorant of politics?I Rational ignoranceI Complexity of political systemI Demands of candidate vs. partisan-centered elections?
I Not much variation in voter ignorance over time, what doesthis mean?
I Potential solutions? Cutting down the cost of participation(heuristics) or alternative model of representation throughcivic engagement in groups (pluralism) . . . that’s where we’reheaded
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Recapping Madison’s Republic Participation Costs Bias & Madison’s Theory
Evidence of Low Political Sophistication
42.1%
57.9%
67%
33%
72.2%
27.8%
53.9%46.1%
83.4%
16.6%
86.6%
13.4%
25.2%
74.8%
Senate Republican Majority Speaker Paul Ryan Vice President Joe Biden
German Chancellor Angela Merkel House Republican Majority Russian President Vladimir Putin SCOTUS Chief Justice John Roberts
Correct Answer Incorrect Answer Correct Answer Incorrect Answer Correct Answer Incorrect Answer
Correct Answer Incorrect Answer
0
25
50
75
0
25
50
75Wei
ghte
d P
erce
ntag
e
Variation in Citizen Response to Office Recall Battery, 2016 American National Election Study
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Recapping Madison’s Republic Participation Costs Bias & Madison’s Theory
3.1%
5.8%
10.4%
14.2%
17.3%
19.1%18.4%
11.8%
0
5
10
15
20
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7Total Number of Correct Responses to Political Knowledge Questions
Wei
ghte
d P
erce
ntag
e
Total Number of Correct Responses to Office Recall Battery, 2016 American National Election Study
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Recapping Madison’s Republic Participation Costs Bias & Madison’s Theory
Citizens Ignorant of Congress! (Mondak et al. 2007)
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Recapping Madison’s Republic Participation Costs Bias & Madison’s Theory
Revisiting Collective Action & Paradox of VotingModeling the calculus to vote1
R = P (B)− C
Where:I R = utility from voting/participationI P = probability of a pivotal voteI B = benefit of voting/advocating for candidateI C = the cost of participating
When to expect voting & participation:I R > 0 which means C < (P ∗B)I What would the model predict?I Model predicts rational abstention & free-riding by citizensI However, yet people vote/participate! This is the Paradox of
Voting1I also apply Riker & Ordeshok’s (1968) model to political participation
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Recapping Madison’s Republic Participation Costs Bias & Madison’s Theory
Riker’s & Ordeshok’s Paradox Cont.
I Is the cost constant across citizens or even factions(aggregations of citizens)?
I What salient variables predicts variation in politicalparticipation?
I Education helps cut down on information costs throughvarious means, professions/formal education/interpersonalnetworks
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Education Levels & Voter Turnout, 2014 Elections
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Recapping Madison’s Republic Participation Costs Bias & Madison’s Theory
Education Levels & Campaign Contributing, 2014 Elections
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Recapping Madison’s Republic Participation Costs Bias & Madison’s Theory
Riker’s & Ordeshok’s Paradox Cont.
I Is the cost constant across citizens or even factions(aggregations of citizens)?
I What salient variables predicts variation in politicalparticipation?
I Education helps cut down on information costs throughvarious means, professions/formal education/interpersonalnetworks
I Education less of a predictor for becoming a campaign donorthan voting, why?
I Income also helps cut down on information & intrinsic coststhrough various mechanisms (interpersonal networks, personalinvestment in policy outcomes, etc.)
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Recapping Madison’s Republic Participation Costs Bias & Madison’s Theory
Income Levels & Voter Turnout, 2014 Elections
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Recapping Madison’s Republic Participation Costs Bias & Madison’s Theory
Income Levels & Campaign Contributing, 2014 Elections
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Recapping Madison’s Republic Participation Costs Bias & Madison’s Theory
Implications for Madison’s Theory
I Why is the effect of education on voting turnout higher thanthe effect of income? Why might this pattern be reversed forcontributing money to a campaign?
I How do the figures overcome the “paradox of voting?”I Thinking about Madison’s theory, why would resource bias in
who participates be a problem? Why might it not be?I Madison would be worried if resource bias exists, in that the
preferences of those that participate in “faction” isincongruent with the preferences of the faction as a whole.
I Implication: Representatives would be responsive topreferences of only those that participate, not faction at-large
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Recapping Madison’s Republic Participation Costs Bias & Madison’s Theory
Source: Stone (2016) UC Davis Pol 1 Seminar
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Bias in Representation?
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Bias in Representation?
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Recapping Madison’s Republic Participation Costs Bias & Madison’s Theory
Is Madison Salvageable? Models of Electoral Choice
Models of Electoral Control
Vote-Choice Implications for AnalyticalHeuristic Model Representatives Purposes
Ideology Spatial/Proximity Responsive to Representation &Voting Median Voter Candidate
Positioning
Partisanship Michigan Responsive to Explaining voteModel Partisan Base choice/partisan
bias
Valence Retrospective Develop reputation, Explaining electoralModel/Valence (honesty/integrity), outcomes, pres.
Rule monitor economy forecasting
Note: Partisanship & ideology are generally prospective models.
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Recapping Madison’s Republic Participation Costs Bias & Madison’s Theory
Key Points:I Madison fails to account for the problem of collective action
in his model of human natureI Citizens not simply motivated by self-interest, strong incentive
to free-ride from like-minded citizensI Madison fails to account for cost of participating in politicsI Information costs dominate ability of citizens to participate,
variation in participation across different modesI Riker & Ordeshok’s Model predicts no one would participate,
yet they do (Paradox of Voting)I Education & income help citizens overcome information costsI Resource bias exists in the system due to participation costs,
Madison would be concerned
Carlos Algara Introduction to American Politics: Meeting 4