Recapping Madison’s Republic Participation Costs Bias & Madison’s Theory

Variation in Citizen Participation: Resources &Free-Riding Incentive

Carlos Algaracalgara@ucdavis.edu

October 10, 2017

Carlos Algara Introduction to American Politics: Meeting 4

Recapping Madison’s Republic Participation Costs Bias & Madison’s Theory

Agenda

1 Recapping Madison’s Republic

2 Participation Costs

3 Bias & Madison’s Theory

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Formalizing The Republic Theory of GovernmentRepresenting Faction (Primarily Federalist 10)

I Human Nature →1 Factions ↔2 RepresentationI Where: →1 = Self-interest & ↔2 = ElectionsI Election & re-election (↔2) critical to theory: protects

against agency loss by faction (voters)

Harnessing Self-Interest & Ensuring Conflict (Federalist 51)I Three Departments: Congress ⇔ President ⇔ JudiciaryI Bicameralism of Congress: U.S. House ⇔ U.S. SenateI Federalism: State governments ⇔ Federal governmentI Where ⇔ = conflict & “constitutional rights of place” (i.e.

checks & balances/dependence of action)I Result: strong status-quo bias, why?I Differing incentives insured primarily by varying terms &

constituencyCarlos Algara Introduction to American Politics: Meeting 4

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Recapping Madison’s Republic Participation Costs Bias & Madison’s Theory

Revisiting Madison’s Theory of the Republic

I Opening Question1: Why is Madison fundamentally concernedabout the effects of human nature?

I Opening Question2: Given that Madison does not seek tolimit liberty & control the causes of human nature, how doeshis institutional setup control the effects?

I Opening Question3: What is one of the main criticismscontemporary political scientists with respect to Madison’sTheory of the Republic?

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Variation in Political Participation: Voter Turnout

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Variation in Political Participation: Voter Turnout

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Defining Political Participation

I Political Participation: Any activity that citizens canundertake to influence government action

I What are some examples of political participation?I Writing/calling member of CongressI Giving to campaigns/political organizationsI Attending rallies & getting out the voteI Running for office (from school board to U.S.

Senate/President)I How does Madison conceptualize political participation?I Believes citizens are motivated by some common impulse of

passion (self-interest), which guides political behaviorI Problem with Madison’s model of participation?

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Recapping Madison’s Republic Participation Costs Bias & Madison’s Theory

Participation Costs

I Madisonian Theory of human behavior ignores the problem ofcollective action & the constant incentive to free-ride

I How is political participation a costly enterprise?I Intrinsic costs to participation:

I Shoe-leather walking to polling station/attending rallyI Time off work to voteI Time at DMV to receive “voter ID” cardI Costs related to operational act of participation

I Information costs to participation:I Developing set of issue beliefs (ideology)I Gathering information of candidate positions & ballot

propositionsI Study how election of single representative affects ideological

distribution of legislatureI Information costs inherently tied to development of political

self-interest (preferences)Carlos Algara Introduction to American Politics: Meeting 4

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Recapping Madison’s Republic Participation Costs Bias & Madison’s Theory

Variation in Various Forms of Political Participation

89.4%

10.6%

71.7%

28.3%

32.6%

67.4%

80%

20%

84.7%

15.3%

45.6%54.4%

96.3%

3.7%

36.7% 33.4%20.3%

7.5% 2%

94.5%

5.5%

Voted in the 2012 Presidential Election? Voted in the 2012 Presidential Primaries? Work for a candidate or campaign?

Forwarded a story, photo, video or link about politics to friends? Put up a political sign? Time took to vote

Attend local political meetings? Donate money to a candidate, campaign, or political organization? Ever run for elective office?

No Yes No Yes No Yes

No Yes No Yes 0 No Wait

1 2 3 4 >1 Hour

No Yes No Yes No Yes0

25

50

75

100

0

25

50

75

100

0

25

50

75

100

Wei

ghte

d P

erce

ntag

e

Variation in Different Activities of Political Participation, 2016 Cooperative Congressional Election Study

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America’s Ignorant Voters?

I What is the thesis presented by Schudson’s argument in thearticle?

I While some argue: “How can the U.S. claim to be a modeldemocracy if its citizens know so little about political life?”,Schudson argues that informed citizenry not what foundersenvisioned

I Why are Americans ignorant of politics?I Rational ignoranceI Complexity of political systemI Demands of candidate vs. partisan-centered elections?

I Not much variation in voter ignorance over time, what doesthis mean?

I Potential solutions? Cutting down the cost of participation(heuristics) or alternative model of representation throughcivic engagement in groups (pluralism) . . . that’s where we’reheaded

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Evidence of Low Political Sophistication

42.1%

57.9%

67%

33%

72.2%

27.8%

53.9%46.1%

83.4%

16.6%

86.6%

13.4%

25.2%

74.8%

Senate Republican Majority Speaker Paul Ryan Vice President Joe Biden

German Chancellor Angela Merkel House Republican Majority Russian President Vladimir Putin SCOTUS Chief Justice John Roberts

Correct Answer Incorrect Answer Correct Answer Incorrect Answer Correct Answer Incorrect Answer

Correct Answer Incorrect Answer

0

25

50

75

0

25

50

75Wei

ghte

d P

erce

ntag

e

Variation in Citizen Response to Office Recall Battery, 2016 American National Election Study

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Recapping Madison’s Republic Participation Costs Bias & Madison’s Theory

3.1%

5.8%

10.4%

14.2%

17.3%

19.1%18.4%

11.8%

0

5

10

15

20

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7Total Number of Correct Responses to Political Knowledge Questions

Wei

ghte

d P

erce

ntag

e

Total Number of Correct Responses to Office Recall Battery, 2016 American National Election Study

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Citizens Ignorant of Congress! (Mondak et al. 2007)

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Revisiting Collective Action & Paradox of VotingModeling the calculus to vote1

R = P (B)− C

Where:I R = utility from voting/participationI P = probability of a pivotal voteI B = benefit of voting/advocating for candidateI C = the cost of participating

When to expect voting & participation:I R > 0 which means C < (P ∗B)I What would the model predict?I Model predicts rational abstention & free-riding by citizensI However, yet people vote/participate! This is the Paradox of

Voting1I also apply Riker & Ordeshok’s (1968) model to political participation

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Recapping Madison’s Republic Participation Costs Bias & Madison’s Theory

Riker’s & Ordeshok’s Paradox Cont.

I Is the cost constant across citizens or even factions(aggregations of citizens)?

I What salient variables predicts variation in politicalparticipation?

I Education helps cut down on information costs throughvarious means, professions/formal education/interpersonalnetworks

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Education Levels & Voter Turnout, 2014 Elections

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Education Levels & Campaign Contributing, 2014 Elections

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Recapping Madison’s Republic Participation Costs Bias & Madison’s Theory

Riker’s & Ordeshok’s Paradox Cont.

I Is the cost constant across citizens or even factions(aggregations of citizens)?

I What salient variables predicts variation in politicalparticipation?

I Education helps cut down on information costs throughvarious means, professions/formal education/interpersonalnetworks

I Education less of a predictor for becoming a campaign donorthan voting, why?

I Income also helps cut down on information & intrinsic coststhrough various mechanisms (interpersonal networks, personalinvestment in policy outcomes, etc.)

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Income Levels & Voter Turnout, 2014 Elections

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Income Levels & Campaign Contributing, 2014 Elections

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Implications for Madison’s Theory

I Why is the effect of education on voting turnout higher thanthe effect of income? Why might this pattern be reversed forcontributing money to a campaign?

I How do the figures overcome the “paradox of voting?”I Thinking about Madison’s theory, why would resource bias in

who participates be a problem? Why might it not be?I Madison would be worried if resource bias exists, in that the

preferences of those that participate in “faction” isincongruent with the preferences of the faction as a whole.

I Implication: Representatives would be responsive topreferences of only those that participate, not faction at-large

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Recapping Madison’s Republic Participation Costs Bias & Madison’s Theory

Source: Stone (2016) UC Davis Pol 1 Seminar

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Bias in Representation?

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Bias in Representation?

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Is Madison Salvageable? Models of Electoral Choice

Models of Electoral Control

Vote-Choice Implications for AnalyticalHeuristic Model Representatives Purposes

Ideology Spatial/Proximity Responsive to Representation &Voting Median Voter Candidate

Positioning

Partisanship Michigan Responsive to Explaining voteModel Partisan Base choice/partisan

bias

Valence Retrospective Develop reputation, Explaining electoralModel/Valence (honesty/integrity), outcomes, pres.

Rule monitor economy forecasting

Note: Partisanship & ideology are generally prospective models.

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Recapping Madison’s Republic Participation Costs Bias & Madison’s Theory

Key Points:I Madison fails to account for the problem of collective action

in his model of human natureI Citizens not simply motivated by self-interest, strong incentive

to free-ride from like-minded citizensI Madison fails to account for cost of participating in politicsI Information costs dominate ability of citizens to participate,

variation in participation across different modesI Riker & Ordeshok’s Model predicts no one would participate,

yet they do (Paradox of Voting)I Education & income help citizens overcome information costsI Resource bias exists in the system due to participation costs,

Madison would be concerned

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