Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-mwx4w Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-19T04:17:59.510Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Nationalization of the Electorate in the United States

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2014

Laura L. Vertz ,
John P. Frendreis  and
James L. Gibson
Laura L. Vertz
Affiliation:
North Texas State University
John P. Frendreis
Affiliation:
Loyola University, Chicago
James L. Gibson
Affiliation:
University of Houston
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

A current debate within the field of U.S. politics revolves around the extent to which the electorate is nationalized, that is, responds to national-level political forces. We provide additional evidence to help resolve this debate. Using the variance-components model of political effects developed by Stokes, we analyze presidential, senatorial, gubernatorial, and congressional races for the period 1962–1984. The results indicate that presidential races are highly nationalized, and congressional races largely localized. Senate and gubernatorial races are found to have a large state-level component to them. The analysis is also split into two segments to ascertain if a change in political effects is seen during this relatively short time frame; no such differences are found. We conclude that nationalization is not a process that can be understood from evidence provided by congressional races alone. Our results suggest that constituencies respond to political forces in a complex way, reacting to factors that are most relevant to a particular electoral contest.

Type
Research Notes
Information
American Political Science Review , Volume 81 , Issue 3 , September 1987 , pp. 961 - 966
Copyright
Copyright © American Political Science Association 1987

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Browne, Eric C., and Vertz, Laura L. 1983. An Old People in a New State: The Problem of National Integration in West Germany. Comparative Politics 16:85–95.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bueno de Mesquita, Bruce. 1978. Redistricting and Political Integration in India. Comparative Political Studies 11:279–88.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Campbell, James E. 1986. Presidential Coattails and Midterm Losses in State Legislative Elections. American Political Science Review 80:45–64.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Claggett, William, Flanigan, William, and Zingale, Nancy. 1984. Nationalization of the American Electorate. American Political Science Review 78:77–91.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jackman, Robert W. 1972. Political Parties, Voting, and National Integration: The Canadian Case. Comparative Political Studies 4:512–36.Google Scholar
Katz, Richard S. 1973. The Attribution of Variance in Electoral Returns: An Alternative Measurement Technique. American Political Science Review 67:817–31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ladd, Everett C. Jr., and Hadley, Charles D. 1978. Transformations of the American Party System. 2d ed. New York: Norton.Google Scholar
Mughan, Anthony. 1978. On Measuring National Integration in Regionally Divided Societies. Quantity and Quality 12:91–98.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schlesinger, Joseph A. 1985. The New American Political Party System. American Political Science Review 79:1152–69.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stokes, Donald E. 1965. A Variance Components Model of Political Effects. In Mathematical Applications in Political Science, ed. Claunch, John M. Dallas: Arnold Foundation.Google Scholar
Stokes, Donald E. 1967. Parties and the Nationalization of Electoral Forces. In The American Party System, eds., Chambers, William N. and Burnham, Walter D. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.