Facing the Challenge of Democracy

Facing the Challenge of Democracy

Explorations in the Analysis of Public Opinion and Political Participation

Edited by: Paul M. Sniderman and Benjamin Highton

Princeton University Press | 2012

https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400840304

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About this book

Citizens are political simpletons--that is only a modest exaggeration of a common characterization of voters. Certainly, there is no shortage of evidence of citizens' limited political knowledge, even about matters of the highest importance, along with inconsistencies in their thinking, some glaring by any standard. But this picture of citizens all too often approaches caricature.

Paul Sniderman and Benjamin Highton bring together leading political scientists who offer new insights into the political thinking of the public, the causes of party polarization, the motivations for political participation, and the paradoxical relationship between turnout and democratic representation. These studies propel a foundational argument about democracy. Voters can only do as well as the alternatives on offer. These alternatives are constrained by third players, in particular activists, interest groups, and financial contributors. The result: voters often appear to be shortsighted, extreme, and inconsistent because the alternatives they must choose between are shortsighted, extreme, and inconsistent.

Facing the Challenge of Democracy features contributions by John Aldrich, Stephen Ansolabehere, Edward Carmines, Jack Citrin, Susanna Dilliplane, Christopher Ellis, Michael Ensley, Melanie Freeze, Donald Green, Eitan Hersh, Simon Jackman, Gary Jacobson, Matthew Knee, Jonathan Krasno, Arthur Lupia, David Magleby, Eric McGhee, Diana Mutz, Candice Nelson, Benjamin Page, Kathryn Pearson, Eric Schickler, John Sides, James Stimson, Lynn Vavreck, Michael Wagner, Mark Westlye, and Tao Xie.

Author information

Paul M. Sniderman is the Fairleigh S. Dickinson, Jr., Professor of Public Policy at Stanford University. Benjamin Highton is associate professor of political science at the University of California, Davis.

Reviews

"Raymond Wolfinger taught me two things: be guided by common sense, even (and above all) when doing theory. And that, to understand how democracy works, we need first of all to pay attention to ordinary people and how they think and act. This volume exemplifies both these ideas and advances them further than I would have thought possible. This book greatly enlarges our understanding of American democracy."—John A. Ferejohn, New York University School of Law

"This lucid collection should give pause to skeptics about democracy. It offers a strong argument that the public is more engaged, consistent in its opinions, and rational in its voting than conventional wisdom holds."—Scott Keeter, Pew Research Center

"These remarkable essays by the profession's leading political scientists not only honor one of the great social scientists, teachers, and mentors of the twentieth century, but advance the long-standing debate about the quality of democracy in America. They are vintage Wolfinger in their approach—confronting sage theories and everyday notions of politics with hard facts."—Steven J. Rosenstone, chancellor, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities

Frontmatter Free access PDF PDF	i
Contents Free access PDF PDF	vii
Contributors Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	xiii
Introduction: Facing the Challenge of Democracy Paul M. Sniderman and Benjamin Highton Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	1
Part I: The Political Logic of Preference Consistency
I. How Do Political Scientists Know What Citizens Want? Arthur Lupia Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	23
II. Purposive Mass Belief Systems concerning Foreign Policy Benjamin I. Page and Tao Xie Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	47
III. Cosmopolitanism Simon Jackman and Lynn Vavreck Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	70
IV. Running to the Right Diana Mutz and Susanna Dilliplane Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	97
V. Pathways to Conservative Identification Christopher Ellis and James A. Stimson Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	120
Part II. Polarization and the Party System
VI. Partisan Differences in Job Approval Ratings of George W. Bush and U.S. Senators in the States Gary C. Jacobson Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	153
VII. Political Participation, Polarization, and Public Opinion John H. Aldrich and Melanie Freeze Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	185
VIII. Political Parties in the Capital Economy of Modern Campaigns Jonathan Krasno Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	207
IX. Candidates and Parties in Congressional Elections Eric McGhee and Kathryn Pearson Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	224
X. The Myth of the Independent Voter Revisited David B. Magleby, Candice J. Nelson and Mark C. Westlye Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	238
Part III. Participation and Representation
XI. Who Really Votes? Stephen Ansolabehere and Eitan Hersh Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	267
XII. Who Governs if Everyone Votes? John Sides, Eric Schickler and Jack Citrin Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	292
XIII. The Effects of Registration Laws on Voter Turnout Matthew R. Knee and Donald P. Green Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	312
XIV. Issue Preferences, Civic Engagement, and the Transformation of American Politics Edward G. Carmines, Michael J. Ensley and Michael W. Wagner Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	329
References Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	355
Index Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	379

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Facing the Challenge of Democracy

Explorations in the Analysis of Public Opinion and Political Participation

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