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Institutional Characteristics and State Policy Priorities: The Impact of Legislatures and Governors

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 January 2021

Daniel C. Lewis ,
Saundra K. Schneider  and
William G. Jacoby
Daniel C. Lewis
Affiliation:
Siena College, Loudonville, NY, USA
Saundra K. Schneider
Affiliation:
Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
William G. Jacoby*
Affiliation:
Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
*
William Jacoby, Michigan State University, 303 South Kedzie Hall, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA. Email: jacoby@msu.edu
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Abstract

This article examines how the institutional characteristics of state legislatures and governors affect state policy priorities. We argue that differences in the nature of their respective constituencies lead legislators to press for particularized benefits while governors favor collective goods. Empirical analysis of state-level data from 1982 through 2011 confirms that this is the case. The organizational arrangements of the two branches of government have an impact that is usually greater than that of state public opinion but generally less than that of state interest groups. The results from this analysis are important because they show that institutional structure has systematic effects that are independent of ideology, partisanship, and the other factors that are known to shape state policy making.

Keywords

governorslegislaturespolicy prioritiesinterest groupspublic opinion
Type
Research Article
Information
State Politics & Policy Quarterly , Volume 15 , Issue 4 , December 2015 , pp. 447 - 475
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2015

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References

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