Category Archives: Electoral Institutions

Some Thoughts on Americans Elect, Polarization and Gridlock

Posted on April 11, 2012 by

In January I was invited to speak at a roundtable hosted by Americans Elect–a nonpartisan presidential nominating organization.  As you may know, Americans Elect (AE) has garnered quite a bit of attention this election cycle from academics and pundits alike (see here for … Continue reading →

Posted in American Political Development, Elections, Electoral Institutions, Polarization | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

In Defense of South Carolina: Institutions Matter

Posted on January 12, 2012 by

We all know the story of the 2000 Republican presidential primary in South Carolina.  John McCain won New Hampshire by double digits, leading a massive increase in campaign donations, campaign volunteers and press.  In response, the Bush campaign went negative in South … Continue reading →

Posted in Elections, Electoral Institutions, Primaries | 8 Comments

Does Iowa Matter?

Posted on December 17, 2011 by

In the mist of an extremely long presidential primary and campaign – as long or longer than I can remember – conversations always reach this question: “Who cares about Iowa?” Obviously campaign fatigue has already hit 10 months out from … Continue reading →

Posted in Elections, Electoral Institutions, Primaries, The Presidency, Voting Behavior | Leave a comment

On Perry’s Plan: The Relationship Between Congressional Salary and Political Corruption

Posted on November 16, 2011 by

The other day Rick Perry released his plan to “uproot” the federal government.  The first item on Perry’s list is a proposal to create what he calls a “part-time citizen Congress.” Presumably, Perry wants this citizen Congress to earn less than $20,000 a … Continue reading →

Posted in Electoral Institutions, Empirical Theory, Legislative Politics, Political Economy | 1 Comment

The Debt Ceiling and the Decline of American Democracy

Posted on August 1, 2011 by

Jacob Hacker and Oona Hathaway, both professors at Yale University, have a very good op-ed in today’s New York Times. I definitely recommend it. To sum up their argument, the U.S. has a democracy problem. The U.S. Government is unable … Continue reading →

Posted in American Political Development, Elections, Electoral Institutions, Filibuster, Legislative Politics, Legislative Theory, Separation of Powers, The Presidency | 2 Comments