Do the rich speak louder? : examining whether U.S. Senators differentially respond to their constituents by income across issues
Name
881183367-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
20.43 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
adabb9aea9d3b5b36329e7abb5390559
Author(s)
Heaps, Elisha W. (Elisha Windi)
Advisor(s)
Christopher Warshaw.
Alternative Title
Examining whether U.S. Senators differentially respond to their constituents by income across issues
Date Issued
2014
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
This thesis examines the relationship between public opinion and the way senators vote on specific issues, and how this "responsiveness" might vary across income groups. The independent variable of interest, state-level income group preference, is estimated using multilevel regression and post-stratification (MRP) analysis. This is an improvement over earlier methods, particularly when modeling income group level opinion where there are insufficient sample sizes in national surveys. Income group opinions are found to be distinct across issue areas and the top ten percent of the income bracket are found to hold different opinions when compared to a more inclusively defined high-income group. Ideal point estimation is used to generate the dependent variable of senator responsiveness based on roll call votes. The first-stage MRP estimates of state-level income group opinion are then regressed on the corresponding senators' ideal points by issue area. While this paper expected the second stage analysis to support an Instructed-delegate model of responsiveness, where senators vote in accordance with constituents' interests, no evidence of such a relationship is found, even at the aggregate opinion level. The evidence suggests that senators are looking elsewhere when making their policy decisions.
Description
Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Political Science, 2014.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 158-164).
Subjects
Political Science.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Political Science
Terms of Use
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