Donald A Gro
Biographic Data
| ID | 957507 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Donald A Gro |
| GIVEN NAMES | Donald A |
| FAMILY NAME | Gro |
| SIGNATURE | GRO D A |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 14 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 187 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 14 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1980 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2007 |
| H-INDEX | 7 |
Democratization Effects of Campaign Contribution Limits in Gubernatorial Elections
Campaign contribution limits have become a common feature of campaign finance reform efforts in most states. The use of contribution limits has been seen as an important mechanism by which to lessen the influence of so-called `special interests' and to encourage citizen participation. Contribution limits could `democratize' the system of contributions by forcing candidates to rely on a larger number of smaller contributions, thereby reducing the …
Influence over State Agency Activities
The valid and reliable measurement of perceived influence over executive agencies is vital to understanding bureaucratic behavior. Using a survey of 540 state agency heads in 15 states, we evaluate two such measures—a standard free-standing measure and a paired-comparison measure—in terms of conceptual clarity, theoretical utility, and susceptibility to systematic measurement error. Our results indicate that while a paired-comparison measure may …
Contribution Limits and Disparity in Contributions between Gubernatorial Candidates
Campaign contribution limits have been a common feature of campaign finance reform efforts in most states. Despite their apparent popularity, campaign contribution limits have been criticized in academic literature. In particular, it has been suggested that contribution limits are likely to increase the disparity in contributions among candidates in general and the disparity between incumbents and challengers in particular. In this article we sub…
Money matters in party-centered politics
State Campaign Finance Regulations and Electoral Competition
In the following analysis, we provide an assessment of the effect of campaign finance reform on campaign spending and electoral competition in gubernatorial campaigns. The work improves on prior research by considering a longer, more comprehensive time frame (1978-1997) and by examining the effects of several different components of reform (contribution limits, public financing, and spending limits) within a single analytic framework. We find tha…
The Impact of State Campaign Finance Laws
We compare spending in concurrent senate and gubernatorial elections to determine if campaign finance laws influence candidate campaign spending. We find that candidate-based public financing combined with spending limits influence candidate spending, but the effect is largely dependent on the level of the limits. We find that contribution limits do not influence candidate spending. If the goal of reform is to reduce candidate spending—or to affe…
Campaign Finance Reform and the 1994 Congressional Elections
Based on partisan arguments regarding the likely effect of campaign finance reform on electoral competition, one might suspect that, had spending limits been in place prior to the 1994 midterm elections, Republicans would not have been able to gain control of the House of Representatives. To examine this proposition, we first create a regression model designed to explain the Democratic percentage of the vote as a function of candidate spending, i…
Reconsidering the 'Myths and Realities' of Campaign Finance Reform
Our analysis uses simulations to consider the likely impact of campaign finance reform on electoral outcomes and electoral competitiveness. The analysis improves upon previous research by both utilizing more than a single econometric model as a basis for the simulations and utilizing a wide range of campaign finance scenarios. Conclusions as to the likely impact campaign finance reform has on electoral competitiveness rely on the model employed a…
Governors and Policymaking
The Vanishing Marginals, 1824-1980
Recent research on House elections has focused on the decline in marginal districts since the mid-1960s. However, this body of research suffers from two major problems: (1) its exclusive reliance on a limited time frame which calls into question the generalizability and adequacy of its explanations; and (2) its overemphasis on incumbency-oriented explanations. Using aggregate electoral data to examine trends in electoral safety from 1824 to 1980,…
Comparing Party Systems
The comparative study of political parties once consisted largely of attempts to differentiate among one-, two-, and multi-party systems. Eventually, however, the extreme oversimplification of this classification scheme came to be recognized, and more elaborate schemes which contained categories like modified one-party and two-and-a-half party began to appear. Unfortunately, these new classifications proved to be extremely arbitrary in the criter…
Changes in the Vote Margins for Congressional Candidates
Recent research on House elections has focused on the decline in congressional competition since the mid-1960s. However, this body of research suffers from three major problems: 1) an imprecise specification of the nature of change in the degree of congressional competition, 2) its exclusive reliance on a limited time frame, which calls into question the generalizability and adequacy of its explanations, and 3) its overemphasis on incumbency-orie…
Units of Analysis and Rae's Fractionalization Index
This article examines the relationship between Rae's fractionalization index and the units of analysis on which it is based. It is shown that as one increases the size of the unit of analysis, the value of the index will increase. An exact mathematical relationship between the mean level of fractionalization for a given set of units and a fractionalization index based upon the aggregate voting totals for the units is established. This relationshi…
House-Senate Conference Committees
At the congressional level, the question, who wins in House-Senate conferences? has been answered. Almost all the evidence indicates that Senate conferees win more often than House conferees. This paper focuses on the question, Who wins in state legislative conference committees? I begin by briefly reviewing the explanations of why Senate conferees tend to win more often in congressional conference committees. Analyzing conference-committee behav…
Comparing Party Systems
The comparative study of political parties once consisted largely of attempts to differentiate among one-, two-, and multi-party systems. Eventually, however, the extreme oversimplification of this classification scheme came to be recognized, and more elaborate schemes which contained categories like modified one-party and two-and-a-half party began to appear. Unfortunately, these new classifications proved to be extremely arbitrary in the criter…
Changes in the Vote Margins for Congressional Candidates
Recent research on House elections has focused on the decline in congressional competition since the mid-1960s. However, this body of research suffers from three major problems: 1) an imprecise specification of the nature of change in the degree of congressional competition, 2) its exclusive reliance on a limited time frame, which calls into question the generalizability and adequacy of its explanations, and 3) its overemphasis on incumbency-orie…
State Campaign Finance Regulations and Electoral Competition
In the following analysis, we provide an assessment of the effect of campaign finance reform on campaign spending and electoral competition in gubernatorial campaigns. The work improves on prior research by considering a longer, more comprehensive time frame (1978-1997) and by examining the effects of several different components of reform (contribution limits, public financing, and spending limits) within a single analytic framework. We find tha…
The Vanishing Marginals, 1824-1980
Recent research on House elections has focused on the decline in marginal districts since the mid-1960s. However, this body of research suffers from two major problems: (1) its exclusive reliance on a limited time frame which calls into question the generalizability and adequacy of its explanations; and (2) its overemphasis on incumbency-oriented explanations. Using aggregate electoral data to examine trends in electoral safety from 1824 to 1980,…
The Impact of State Campaign Finance Laws
We compare spending in concurrent senate and gubernatorial elections to determine if campaign finance laws influence candidate campaign spending. We find that candidate-based public financing combined with spending limits influence candidate spending, but the effect is largely dependent on the level of the limits. We find that contribution limits do not influence candidate spending. If the goal of reform is to reduce candidate spending—or to affe…
House-Senate Conference Committees
At the congressional level, the question, who wins in House-Senate conferences? has been answered. Almost all the evidence indicates that Senate conferees win more often than House conferees. This paper focuses on the question, Who wins in state legislative conference committees? I begin by briefly reviewing the explanations of why Senate conferees tend to win more often in congressional conference committees. Analyzing conference-committee behav…
Money matters in party-centered politics
Governors and Policymaking
Reconsidering the 'Myths and Realities' of Campaign Finance Reform
Our analysis uses simulations to consider the likely impact of campaign finance reform on electoral outcomes and electoral competitiveness. The analysis improves upon previous research by both utilizing more than a single econometric model as a basis for the simulations and utilizing a wide range of campaign finance scenarios. Conclusions as to the likely impact campaign finance reform has on electoral competitiveness rely on the model employed a…
Democratization Effects of Campaign Contribution Limits in Gubernatorial Elections
Campaign contribution limits have become a common feature of campaign finance reform efforts in most states. The use of contribution limits has been seen as an important mechanism by which to lessen the influence of so-called `special interests' and to encourage citizen participation. Contribution limits could `democratize' the system of contributions by forcing candidates to rely on a larger number of smaller contributions, thereby reducing the …
Influence over State Agency Activities
The valid and reliable measurement of perceived influence over executive agencies is vital to understanding bureaucratic behavior. Using a survey of 540 state agency heads in 15 states, we evaluate two such measures—a standard free-standing measure and a paired-comparison measure—in terms of conceptual clarity, theoretical utility, and susceptibility to systematic measurement error. Our results indicate that while a paired-comparison measure may …
Contribution Limits and Disparity in Contributions between Gubernatorial Candidates
Campaign contribution limits have been a common feature of campaign finance reform efforts in most states. Despite their apparent popularity, campaign contribution limits have been criticized in academic literature. In particular, it has been suggested that contribution limits are likely to increase the disparity in contributions among candidates in general and the disparity between incumbents and challengers in particular. In this article we sub…
Campaign Finance Reform and the 1994 Congressional Elections
Based on partisan arguments regarding the likely effect of campaign finance reform on electoral competition, one might suspect that, had spending limits been in place prior to the 1994 midterm elections, Republicans would not have been able to gain control of the House of Representatives. To examine this proposition, we first create a regression model designed to explain the Democratic percentage of the vote as a function of candidate spending, i…
Units of Analysis and Rae's Fractionalization Index
This article examines the relationship between Rae's fractionalization index and the units of analysis on which it is based. It is shown that as one increases the size of the unit of analysis, the value of the index will increase. An exact mathematical relationship between the mean level of fractionalization for a given set of units and a fractionalization index based upon the aggregate voting totals for the units is established. This relationshi…
House-Senate Conference Committees
At the congressional level, the question, who wins in House-Senate conferences? has been answered. Almost all the evidence indicates that Senate conferees win more often than House conferees. This paper focuses on the question, Who wins in state legislative conference committees? I begin by briefly reviewing the explanations of why Senate conferees tend to win more often in congressional conference committees. Analyzing conference-committee behav…
Units of Analysis and Rae's Fractionalization Index
This article examines the relationship between Rae's fractionalization index and the units of analysis on which it is based. It is shown that as one increases the size of the unit of analysis, the value of the index will increase. An exact mathematical relationship between the mean level of fractionalization for a given set of units and a fractionalization index based upon the aggregate voting totals for the units is established. This relationshi…
The Vanishing Marginals, 1824-1980
Recent research on House elections has focused on the decline in marginal districts since the mid-1960s. However, this body of research suffers from two major problems: (1) its exclusive reliance on a limited time frame which calls into question the generalizability and adequacy of its explanations; and (2) its overemphasis on incumbency-oriented explanations. Using aggregate electoral data to examine trends in electoral safety from 1824 to 1980,…
Comparing Party Systems
The comparative study of political parties once consisted largely of attempts to differentiate among one-, two-, and multi-party systems. Eventually, however, the extreme oversimplification of this classification scheme came to be recognized, and more elaborate schemes which contained categories like modified one-party and two-and-a-half party began to appear. Unfortunately, these new classifications proved to be extremely arbitrary in the criter…
Changes in the Vote Margins for Congressional Candidates
Recent research on House elections has focused on the decline in congressional competition since the mid-1960s. However, this body of research suffers from three major problems: 1) an imprecise specification of the nature of change in the degree of congressional competition, 2) its exclusive reliance on a limited time frame, which calls into question the generalizability and adequacy of its explanations, and 3) its overemphasis on incumbency-orie…
Governors and Policymaking
Reconsidering the 'Myths and Realities' of Campaign Finance Reform
Our analysis uses simulations to consider the likely impact of campaign finance reform on electoral outcomes and electoral competitiveness. The analysis improves upon previous research by both utilizing more than a single econometric model as a basis for the simulations and utilizing a wide range of campaign finance scenarios. Conclusions as to the likely impact campaign finance reform has on electoral competitiveness rely on the model employed a…
Campaign Finance Reform and the 1994 Congressional Elections
Based on partisan arguments regarding the likely effect of campaign finance reform on electoral competition, one might suspect that, had spending limits been in place prior to the 1994 midterm elections, Republicans would not have been able to gain control of the House of Representatives. To examine this proposition, we first create a regression model designed to explain the Democratic percentage of the vote as a function of candidate spending, i…
The Impact of State Campaign Finance Laws
We compare spending in concurrent senate and gubernatorial elections to determine if campaign finance laws influence candidate campaign spending. We find that candidate-based public financing combined with spending limits influence candidate spending, but the effect is largely dependent on the level of the limits. We find that contribution limits do not influence candidate spending. If the goal of reform is to reduce candidate spending—or to affe…
State Campaign Finance Regulations and Electoral Competition
In the following analysis, we provide an assessment of the effect of campaign finance reform on campaign spending and electoral competition in gubernatorial campaigns. The work improves on prior research by considering a longer, more comprehensive time frame (1978-1997) and by examining the effects of several different components of reform (contribution limits, public financing, and spending limits) within a single analytic framework. We find tha…
Money matters in party-centered politics
Influence over State Agency Activities
The valid and reliable measurement of perceived influence over executive agencies is vital to understanding bureaucratic behavior. Using a survey of 540 state agency heads in 15 states, we evaluate two such measures—a standard free-standing measure and a paired-comparison measure—in terms of conceptual clarity, theoretical utility, and susceptibility to systematic measurement error. Our results indicate that while a paired-comparison measure may …
Contribution Limits and Disparity in Contributions between Gubernatorial Candidates
Campaign contribution limits have been a common feature of campaign finance reform efforts in most states. Despite their apparent popularity, campaign contribution limits have been criticized in academic literature. In particular, it has been suggested that contribution limits are likely to increase the disparity in contributions among candidates in general and the disparity between incumbents and challengers in particular. In this article we sub…
Democratization Effects of Campaign Contribution Limits in Gubernatorial Elections
Campaign contribution limits have become a common feature of campaign finance reform efforts in most states. The use of contribution limits has been seen as an important mechanism by which to lessen the influence of so-called `special interests' and to encourage citizen participation. Contribution limits could `democratize' the system of contributions by forcing candidates to rely on a larger number of smaller contributions, thereby reducing the …
Political science (14 works) · Electoral Systems and Political Participation (12 works) · Economics (10 works) · Law (9 works) · Law (8 works) · Politics (7 works) · Campaign finance (6 works) · Public Administration (6 works) · Public Administration (6 works) · Computer Science (5 works)