Category Archives: Political Institutions

Obligatory Electoral College Maps Are Obligatory

Posted on November 6, 2012 by

If the antiquated Electoral College is good for one thing, it’s making fun maps.  Here are some Electoral College results you might see tomorrow morning (or late tonight if you’re a political junkie).  You can make your own map at … Continue reading →

Posted in Elections, Electoral Institutions, Political Institutions, Voting Behavior | Leave a comment

The Polarization Culprits

Posted on October 21, 2012 by

Jennifer Victor and Seth Masket recently posted a couple very good posts over at the  Mischeifs of Faction on polarization in Congress. If you aren’t already reading their blog, you should. Both approach the problem from an electoral perspective. There … Continue reading →

Posted in American Political Development, Legislative Procedure, Polarization, Political Institutions | 2 Comments

Reforming Polarization and Gridlock: Series on Congressional Reform

Posted on March 14, 2012 by

For someone who studies congressional development, the past couple years have been frustrating. Many people with noble intentions proposed reforms to remedy our dysfunctional Congress. However, these discussions have almost universally missed the causes of gridlock and polarization. They offer remedies … Continue reading →

Posted in Filibuster, Legislative Politics, Legislative Procedure, Polarization, Political Institutions, Senate, Separation of Powers | 1 Comment

Things Institutionalists Know that You Should: Timing is Everything

Posted on October 29, 2011 by

Moving forward with the third installment of our institutionalism series, I’m going to discuss the relevance of time in new institutionalist literature. So far, Nate and Jordan have discussed how institutions and preferences affect outcomes and how those outcomes are … Continue reading →

Posted in American Political Development, Legislative Procedure, Political Institutions, Things Institutionalists Know that you Should | 1 Comment

Things Institutionalists Know that You Should: Why So Much Stability?

Posted on September 29, 2011 by

Regular readers of the blog will recall that we are drafting a semi-regular series that codifies some of the foundational tenets of new institutionalism.  This is our contribution to a similar effort that focuses on the cores lessons from the … Continue reading →

Posted in Political Institutions, Things Institutionalists Know that you Should | 5 Comments