Heresthetics in ballot proposition arguments
An investigation of California citizen initiative rhetoric
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6085204 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Chad Murphy (0009-0002-6713-3898), Curt Burge, Martin Johnson (0000-0002-4706-8294), Shaun Bowler (0000-0002-0739-6090) |
| Year | 2012 |
| Volume | 11 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 135-156 |
| Publication date | 2012-04-04 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Language and Politics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1569-2159 • E-ISSN: 1569-9862 |
| Publisher | John Benjamins Publishing Company (PUBLISHER • NL) |
| DOI | 10.1075/jlp.11.1.07mur |
| OpenAlex | W2001314492 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 15 |
Political actors typically use language with the goal of persuading an audience. But what shapes the use of language in political settings? Is it differences between ideologues — liberals and conservatives — that change language use? Or is it support or opposition to the issue? Using techniques adapted from cognitive psychology we examine arguments used in ballot proposition elections and show them to exhibit systematic patterns in line with the theoretical arguments of Riker (1996). The actor’s choice of issue position — for or against — can be seen to imply that the arguments they advance in support of their position are constrained. More specifically, we show that arguments in support of propositions are consistently similar to each other and consistently dissimilar from arguments against a proposal in language use. These patterns of similarity and dissimilarity persist across a wide range of issues and actors. Identification of these patterns helps explain a persistent empirical regularity within ballot proposition politics: the advantage held by “NO” campaigns
Ballot · Economics · Epistemology · Ideology · Opposition (politics · Political science · Politics · Position (finance · Positive economics · Proposition · Similarity (geometry · Sociology · Voting · Computer Science · Discourse Analysis in Language Studies · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Psychology · Social Media and Politics · Artificial Intelligence · Law · Social Psychology
Voting the Agenda
Direct Legislation
Moral Politics
Experimental Tests of the Endowment Effect and the Coase Theorem
Issue Framing and Engagement
Toward a Psychology of Framing Effects
Do voters have a cue? Television advertisements as a source of information in citizen–initiated referendum campaigns
Direct Democracy
Is Spending More Potent For or Against a Proposition? Evidence from Ballot Measures
Changing Minds
Direct Democracy Works
Shortcuts Versus Encyclopedias
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,23 |
| Citation span | 2013 - 2015 (3) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |