What explains party unity? A test of competing theories
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6316348 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jacob Holt (0000-0001-6457-5856, Politics, Public Administration, and Philosophy, Columbus State University, Columbus, GA, USA, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 294-305 |
| Publication date | 2023-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Party Politics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1354-0688 • E-ISSN: 1460-3683 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/13540688211064601 |
| OpenAlex | W4205892365 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 34 |
Several theories have been created to explain party unity in Congress, but previous studies have generally assumed the same factors affect party unity for both parties. Given the differences between the two parties (the ideological heterogeneity of their electoral coalitions, how the party’s electoral coalitions view partisanship, etc.), this assumption may limit our understanding of the sources of party unity. In this paper, I test three theories of party unity (cartel theory, Conditional Party Government, and Strategic Party Government) on separate panels for the two parties. I find cartel theory helps explain party unity for both parties, but, unlike what has previously been argued, I find this is not entirely due to Reed’s Rules. I further find Conditional Party Government better explains party unity for the Republicans, while Strategic Party Government better explains party unity for the Democrats. I provide theoretical reasons for these findings and how they may impact future research
Cartel · Divided government · Economics · Government (linguistics · Ideology · Incentive · Law and economics · Microeconomics · Political science · Politics · Test (biology · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Gender Politics and Representation · Law · Political Influence and Corporate Strategies
THe winning of the midwest
Parties and Leaders in the Postreform House
Setting the Agenda
Why Parties?
Party Loyalty Among Congressmen
Asymmetric Politics
A Simple, Positive Semi-Definite, Heteroskedasticity and Autocorrelation Consistent Covariance Matrix
Social science history
Beyond Ideology
It's Even Worse Than It Looks
The Third Electoral System, 1853-1892
Measuring variations in party unity voting
The Decline of Party in the U. S. House of Representatives, 1887-1968
War for the Floor
Majority Party Leadership Strategies for Coping with the New U. S. House
Dividers, Not Uniters
The Emergence of Strong Leadership in the 1980s House of Representatives
Conditional Party Government and the Homogeneity of Constituent Interests
Reed's Rules and the Partisan Theory of Legislative Organization
Partisan Polarization and the Effect of Congressional Performance Evaluations on Party Brands and American Elections
Exploring the Bases of Partisanship in the American Electorate
Ideological Republicans and Group Interest Democrats
The adoption of direct primaries in the United States
How Strong Should Our Party Be? Party Member Preferences Over Party Cohesion
Who Wins? Party Effects in Legislative Voting
Where's the Party
The Political Culture of the Democratic and Republican Parties
The Partisan Basis of Procedural Choice
Asymmetry in the Political System
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,5 |
| Citation span | 2024 - 2024 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |