Tag Archives: legislatures

No Middle Ground: How Informal Party Organizations Control Nominations and Polarize Legislatures

February 2, 2010 – 11:00 am

Parties control the public behavior of their office holders by acting as gatekeepers to political office

The debate on the influence of political parties on the political process until recently has been restricted to parties in government.  Scholars have focused their debate primarily on the impact of party on the actions of a legislator in the legislature.
Masket [...]

By hjghassell | Posted in American Politics | Also tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

Delegating Direct Democracy: Interparty Legislative Competition and the Adoption of the Initiative in the American States

February 18, 2009 – 11:52 am

When a minority party gains tenuous control of the legislature, or when a majority feels that it might become the minority soon, then legislators gain an incentive to weaken the legislature by empowering the median voter.

Today, voters in 24 states can make policy directly through the initiative process. In most of these states, the initiative [...]

By A.R.B. | Posted in American Politics | Also tagged , , , , , , | Comments (0)
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