Seo-Young Silvia Kim
Biographic Data
| ID | 1324136 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Seo-Young Silvia Kim |
| GIVEN NAMES | Seo-Young Silvia |
| FAMILY NAME | Kim |
| SIGNATURE | KIM S S |
| AFFILIATIONS | American University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-8801-9210 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 13 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 24 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 13 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2020 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Addressing Measurement Errors in Ranking Questions for the Social Sciences
Social scientists often use ranking questions to study people’s opinions and preferences. However, little is understood about the general nature of measurement errors in such questions, let alone their statistical consequences and what researchers can do about them. We introduce a statistical framework to improve ranking data analysis by addressing measurement errors in ranking questions. First, we characterize measurement errors from random resp…
Fundraising on the fringe: Do ideologically extreme candidates solicit small donations
Do ideologically extreme candidates actively pursue small donations? The literature on money in politics debates whether “small” individual campaign donors are more ideologically extreme than large donors. This paper reverses the question, investigating whether extreme candidates request smaller contributions from potential donors. Using data from U.S. congressional candidates’ fundraising platforms in the 2020 elections, I examine how campaigns …
Keep Winning with WinRed? Online Fundraising Platform as the Party's Public Good
What determines the relative importance of extended party networks versus party leaders in parties’ campaign strategies? We synthesize theories of party organizations by highlighting the interplay between formal institutions and extended networks, using an example from US campaign finance. Online platforms are increasingly important in political fundraising, and party-wide platform coordination increases efficiency for any party. However, parties…
Donate to help us fight back: Political fundraising and toxic rhetoric online
Political candidates utilize social media to mobilize supporters, persuade voters, and raise money. However, little is known about the structure of mass electoral appeals when donors are the primary target instead of voters. Because candidates’ donors and voters can differ significantly, with donors more partisan and ideologically extreme on average, we theorize that candidates use strategic rhetoric tailored to specific audiences. To analyze how…
Partisanship is why people vote in person in a pandemic
Objective The choice of voting methods has increasingly become a politicized, partisan issue. We ask: Can a nationalized partisan rhetoric cast doubt on vote‐by‐mail (VBM) despite years of experience and a raging pandemic? Method Using 2020 general election records in Colorado, an established all‐mail voting state, we analyze first the general choice of voting methods using supervised machine learning and then the choice to switch to in‐person vo…
Division Does Not Imply Predictability: Demographics Continue to Reveal Little About Voting and Partisanship
What are the political consequences of ongoing social sorting? We evaluate the degree of social sorting and mass polarization using the predictability of partisanship and voting decisions as quantities of interest. Contrary to expectations, demographic sorting has not produced a very predictable electorate. Models trained on nothing more than demographic labels from public opinion surveys (1952–2020) predict only 63.9% of two-party vote choices a…
Money in Politics: Self-Enrichment, Campaign Spending, and Golden Parachutes by Simon Weschle
Journal Article Money in Politics: Self-Enrichment, Campaign Spending, and Golden Parachutes by Simon Weschle Get access Simon Weschle. New York, Cambridge University Press, 2022. 300 pp. Paper, $34.99. Seo-young Silvia Kim Seo-young Silvia Kim American University Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Political Science Quarterly, Volume 138, Issue 3, Fall 2023, Pages 461–463, https://doi.org/10.1093/psquar/qqad0…
Automatic Voter Reregistration as a Housewarming Gift: Quantifying Causal Effects on Turnout Using Movers
How much can automatic voter registration (AVR) increase turnout? Unlike in many democracies, most American voters face the additional cost of registration, resulting in potential disenfranchisement. Automatic voter registration is naturally expected to promote turnout, but its causal effects have rarely been quantified due to violations of crucial assumptions. I show that a variation of AVR that targets existing registrants as opposed to eligibl…
Bayesian Analysis of State Voter Registration Database Integrity
How do we ensure a statewide voter registration database’s accuracy and integrity, especially when the database depends on aggregating decentralized, sub-state data with different list maintenance practices? We develop a Bayesian multivariate multilevel model to account for correlated patterns of change over time in multiple response variables, and label statewide anomalies using deviations from model predictions. We apply our model to California…
Latinos, group identity, and equal opportunity on the 2020 California ballot
Objective Racial minority groups are often assumed to support equal opportunity policies, with most research focused on biracial contexts between Whites and Blacks. With a unique opportunity to study richer contexts from California's 2020 elections, we test whether Latino voters supported ballot measures associated with equal opportunity. Methods Using data on vote choice for Propositions 15 (raising commercial property taxes) and 16 (repealing p…
Networking 101 for Graduate Students: Building a Bigger Table
Although the importance of networking often is emphasized to graduate students, straightforward guidance on how to approach this task is typically reliant on individual advisors who both know and can demystify the discipline’s hidden and informal practices. This article provides concrete, point-by-point tips for both junior scholars and their supporters, building on our experiences in creating an online communication forum for early-career schola…
Who Voted in 2016? Using Fuzzy Forests to Understand Voter Turnout
Objective What can machine learning tell us about who voted in 2016? There are numerous competing voter turnout theories, and a large number of covariates are required to assess which theory best explains turnout. This article is a proof of concept that machine learning can help overcome this curse of dimensionality and reveal important insights in studies of political phenomena. Methods We use fuzzy forests, an extension of random forests, to sc…
Evaluating the Quality of Changes in Voter Registration Databases: Part of Special Symposium on Election Sciences
The administration of elections depends crucially upon the quality and integrity of voter registration databases. In addition, political scientists are increasingly using these databases in their research. However, these databases are dynamic and may be subject to external manipulation and unintentional errors. In this article, using data from Orange County, California, we develop two methods for evaluating the quality of voter registration data …
Division Does Not Imply Predictability: Demographics Continue to Reveal Little About Voting and Partisanship
What are the political consequences of ongoing social sorting? We evaluate the degree of social sorting and mass polarization using the predictability of partisanship and voting decisions as quantities of interest. Contrary to expectations, demographic sorting has not produced a very predictable electorate. Models trained on nothing more than demographic labels from public opinion surveys (1952–2020) predict only 63.9% of two-party vote choices a…
Automatic Voter Reregistration as a Housewarming Gift: Quantifying Causal Effects on Turnout Using Movers
How much can automatic voter registration (AVR) increase turnout? Unlike in many democracies, most American voters face the additional cost of registration, resulting in potential disenfranchisement. Automatic voter registration is naturally expected to promote turnout, but its causal effects have rarely been quantified due to violations of crucial assumptions. I show that a variation of AVR that targets existing registrants as opposed to eligibl…
Who Voted in 2016? Using Fuzzy Forests to Understand Voter Turnout
Objective What can machine learning tell us about who voted in 2016? There are numerous competing voter turnout theories, and a large number of covariates are required to assess which theory best explains turnout. This article is a proof of concept that machine learning can help overcome this curse of dimensionality and reveal important insights in studies of political phenomena. Methods We use fuzzy forests, an extension of random forests, to sc…
Evaluating the Quality of Changes in Voter Registration Databases: Part of Special Symposium on Election Sciences
The administration of elections depends crucially upon the quality and integrity of voter registration databases. In addition, political scientists are increasingly using these databases in their research. However, these databases are dynamic and may be subject to external manipulation and unintentional errors. In this article, using data from Orange County, California, we develop two methods for evaluating the quality of voter registration data …
Keep Winning with WinRed? Online Fundraising Platform as the Party's Public Good
What determines the relative importance of extended party networks versus party leaders in parties’ campaign strategies? We synthesize theories of party organizations by highlighting the interplay between formal institutions and extended networks, using an example from US campaign finance. Online platforms are increasingly important in political fundraising, and party-wide platform coordination increases efficiency for any party. However, parties…
Donate to help us fight back: Political fundraising and toxic rhetoric online
Political candidates utilize social media to mobilize supporters, persuade voters, and raise money. However, little is known about the structure of mass electoral appeals when donors are the primary target instead of voters. Because candidates’ donors and voters can differ significantly, with donors more partisan and ideologically extreme on average, we theorize that candidates use strategic rhetoric tailored to specific audiences. To analyze how…
Partisanship is why people vote in person in a pandemic
Objective The choice of voting methods has increasingly become a politicized, partisan issue. We ask: Can a nationalized partisan rhetoric cast doubt on vote‐by‐mail (VBM) despite years of experience and a raging pandemic? Method Using 2020 general election records in Colorado, an established all‐mail voting state, we analyze first the general choice of voting methods using supervised machine learning and then the choice to switch to in‐person vo…
Bayesian Analysis of State Voter Registration Database Integrity
How do we ensure a statewide voter registration database’s accuracy and integrity, especially when the database depends on aggregating decentralized, sub-state data with different list maintenance practices? We develop a Bayesian multivariate multilevel model to account for correlated patterns of change over time in multiple response variables, and label statewide anomalies using deviations from model predictions. We apply our model to California…
Latinos, group identity, and equal opportunity on the 2020 California ballot
Objective Racial minority groups are often assumed to support equal opportunity policies, with most research focused on biracial contexts between Whites and Blacks. With a unique opportunity to study richer contexts from California's 2020 elections, we test whether Latino voters supported ballot measures associated with equal opportunity. Methods Using data on vote choice for Propositions 15 (raising commercial property taxes) and 16 (repealing p…
Networking 101 for Graduate Students: Building a Bigger Table
Although the importance of networking often is emphasized to graduate students, straightforward guidance on how to approach this task is typically reliant on individual advisors who both know and can demystify the discipline’s hidden and informal practices. This article provides concrete, point-by-point tips for both junior scholars and their supporters, building on our experiences in creating an online communication forum for early-career schola…
Who Voted in 2016? Using Fuzzy Forests to Understand Voter Turnout
Objective What can machine learning tell us about who voted in 2016? There are numerous competing voter turnout theories, and a large number of covariates are required to assess which theory best explains turnout. This article is a proof of concept that machine learning can help overcome this curse of dimensionality and reveal important insights in studies of political phenomena. Methods We use fuzzy forests, an extension of random forests, to sc…
Evaluating the Quality of Changes in Voter Registration Databases: Part of Special Symposium on Election Sciences
The administration of elections depends crucially upon the quality and integrity of voter registration databases. In addition, political scientists are increasingly using these databases in their research. However, these databases are dynamic and may be subject to external manipulation and unintentional errors. In this article, using data from Orange County, California, we develop two methods for evaluating the quality of voter registration data …
Networking 101 for Graduate Students: Building a Bigger Table
Although the importance of networking often is emphasized to graduate students, straightforward guidance on how to approach this task is typically reliant on individual advisors who both know and can demystify the discipline’s hidden and informal practices. This article provides concrete, point-by-point tips for both junior scholars and their supporters, building on our experiences in creating an online communication forum for early-career schola…
Bayesian Analysis of State Voter Registration Database Integrity
How do we ensure a statewide voter registration database’s accuracy and integrity, especially when the database depends on aggregating decentralized, sub-state data with different list maintenance practices? We develop a Bayesian multivariate multilevel model to account for correlated patterns of change over time in multiple response variables, and label statewide anomalies using deviations from model predictions. We apply our model to California…
Latinos, group identity, and equal opportunity on the 2020 California ballot
Objective Racial minority groups are often assumed to support equal opportunity policies, with most research focused on biracial contexts between Whites and Blacks. With a unique opportunity to study richer contexts from California's 2020 elections, we test whether Latino voters supported ballot measures associated with equal opportunity. Methods Using data on vote choice for Propositions 15 (raising commercial property taxes) and 16 (repealing p…
Money in Politics: Self-Enrichment, Campaign Spending, and Golden Parachutes by Simon Weschle
Journal Article Money in Politics: Self-Enrichment, Campaign Spending, and Golden Parachutes by Simon Weschle Get access Simon Weschle. New York, Cambridge University Press, 2022. 300 pp. Paper, $34.99. Seo-young Silvia Kim Seo-young Silvia Kim American University Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Political Science Quarterly, Volume 138, Issue 3, Fall 2023, Pages 461–463, https://doi.org/10.1093/psquar/qqad0…
Automatic Voter Reregistration as a Housewarming Gift: Quantifying Causal Effects on Turnout Using Movers
How much can automatic voter registration (AVR) increase turnout? Unlike in many democracies, most American voters face the additional cost of registration, resulting in potential disenfranchisement. Automatic voter registration is naturally expected to promote turnout, but its causal effects have rarely been quantified due to violations of crucial assumptions. I show that a variation of AVR that targets existing registrants as opposed to eligibl…
Partisanship is why people vote in person in a pandemic
Objective The choice of voting methods has increasingly become a politicized, partisan issue. We ask: Can a nationalized partisan rhetoric cast doubt on vote‐by‐mail (VBM) despite years of experience and a raging pandemic? Method Using 2020 general election records in Colorado, an established all‐mail voting state, we analyze first the general choice of voting methods using supervised machine learning and then the choice to switch to in‐person vo…
Division Does Not Imply Predictability: Demographics Continue to Reveal Little About Voting and Partisanship
What are the political consequences of ongoing social sorting? We evaluate the degree of social sorting and mass polarization using the predictability of partisanship and voting decisions as quantities of interest. Contrary to expectations, demographic sorting has not produced a very predictable electorate. Models trained on nothing more than demographic labels from public opinion surveys (1952–2020) predict only 63.9% of two-party vote choices a…
Addressing Measurement Errors in Ranking Questions for the Social Sciences
Social scientists often use ranking questions to study people’s opinions and preferences. However, little is understood about the general nature of measurement errors in such questions, let alone their statistical consequences and what researchers can do about them. We introduce a statistical framework to improve ranking data analysis by addressing measurement errors in ranking questions. First, we characterize measurement errors from random resp…
Fundraising on the fringe: Do ideologically extreme candidates solicit small donations
Do ideologically extreme candidates actively pursue small donations? The literature on money in politics debates whether “small” individual campaign donors are more ideologically extreme than large donors. This paper reverses the question, investigating whether extreme candidates request smaller contributions from potential donors. Using data from U.S. congressional candidates’ fundraising platforms in the 2020 elections, I examine how campaigns …
Keep Winning with WinRed? Online Fundraising Platform as the Party's Public Good
What determines the relative importance of extended party networks versus party leaders in parties’ campaign strategies? We synthesize theories of party organizations by highlighting the interplay between formal institutions and extended networks, using an example from US campaign finance. Online platforms are increasingly important in political fundraising, and party-wide platform coordination increases efficiency for any party. However, parties…
Donate to help us fight back: Political fundraising and toxic rhetoric online
Political candidates utilize social media to mobilize supporters, persuade voters, and raise money. However, little is known about the structure of mass electoral appeals when donors are the primary target instead of voters. Because candidates’ donors and voters can differ significantly, with donors more partisan and ideologically extreme on average, we theorize that candidates use strategic rhetoric tailored to specific audiences. To analyze how…
Political science (12 works) · Computer Science (9 works) · Politics (9 works) · Electoral Systems and Political Participation (7 works) · Law (7 works) · Voting (7 works) · Law (6 works) · Psychology (6 works) · Business (4 works) · Economics (4 works)