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The Search for Comparability: Response to Binder

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 February 2008

Fang-Yi Chiou
Affiliation:
Institute of Political Science, Academia Sinica, 128 Academia Road, Taipei, Taiwan, e-mail: fchiou@gate.sinica.edu.tw
Lawrence S. Rothenberg*
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627
*
e-mail: lrot@mail.rochester.edu (corresponding author)

Abstract

Binder (n.d., Taking the measure of Congress: Reply to Chiou and Rothenberg. Political Analysis. Forthcoming) highlights areas of agreement and disagreement with our discussion of preference measurement and legislative gridlock. We now both agree that W-NOMINATE scores—employed in Binder (1999, The dynamics of legislative gridlock. American Political Science Review 9:519–33) to measure key independent variables, including bicameral differences—should not be used when examining multichamber legislatures over time. We continue to disagree over whether Common Space scores or Binder's conference vote measure is superior. In this response, we show that, although several of the theoretical and statistical objections that Binder (n.d.) raises to our Common Space measure do not apply, they are all relevant for her conference vote analog. Additionally, we detail how, despite protests to the contrary, the conference vote measure is plagued by insufficient data. Finally, we demonstrate how new efforts to show that Binder's (1999) results continue to hold are not robust.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Political Methodology 

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