Issues and Agenda Setting
This is a page for students of PS 240. On October 20th and 24th we discussed issues and agenda setting.
Possible Exam Questions
- Nobody has suggested any yet.
Readings
O.G. Abbe, Goodliffe, J., Herrnson, P. S. and Patterson, K. D. (2003). Agenda Setting in Congressional Elections: The Impact of Issues and Campaigns on Voting Behavior. Political Research Quarterly, 56, 419-430.
- Summary:This article examines the credence of issues in congressional elections. The first discussion point is issue voting. The article says that in order for issue voting to occur, both candidates issue positions must be readily available to voters. however there are two reasons this is impractical, first, because candidates are consistently ambiguous about policy position, and second, because voters are horrible uninformed. The second discussion is the agenda-setting theory, which says that news coverage, campaigning, and advertising influence to importance of issues to voters. "Issue Ownership" strategy - if a candidate focuses his/her agenda on issues which are owned by their own party, favor will shift in their direction.
Basically, an effective way to run a campaign to to run it based on issues which your party owns.
S. Ansolabehere, Rodden, J. and Snyder, J.,James M. (2008). The Strength of Issues: Using Multiple Measures to Gauge Preference Stability, Ideological Constraint, and Issue Voting. American Political Science Review, 102, 215-232.
- Summary:
C. Kenny and Jenner, E. (2008). Direction Versus Proximity in the Social Influence Process. Political Behavior, 30, 73-95.
- Summary:
H. Brasher (2003). Capitalizing on Contention: Issue Agendas in U.S. Senate Campaigns. Political Communication, 20, 453.
- Summary:
K. Dolan (2008). Running Against a Woman: Do Female Opponents Shape Male Candidate Behaviors? Social Science Quarterly (Blackwell Publishing Limited), 89, 765-779.
- Summary:
J. Sides (2007). The Consequences of Campaign Agendas. American Politics Research, 35, 465-488.
- Summary:
