Elections are the engine that drives democracy. The central question of this
dissertation relates to the speed of that engine: How long does it take for elections to
reflect changing preferences in the electorate? The findings presented in this dissertation
suggest that electoral change is the result of a gradual process of natural selection in
which the political environment, rather than district service activity, is the key variable.
Comparing elections data across different types of district environment, I find evidence
that the environment affects levels of competition and electoral outcomes. Utilizing an
event history statistical model to examine various risk factors for electoral defeat, I find
that the political environment of the district is the most important factor influencing the
risk of defeat even when controlling for district service behaviors. Over time, the district
environment operates as a self-correcting mechanism, purging political misfits and
replacing them with representatives who better reflect the ideology of the district.
Electoral change typically results more from evolution than revolution it may not occur
quickly, and it may not occur in every district, but it does occur when and where it is
needed.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:tamu.edu/oai:repository.tamu.edu:1969.1/1549 |
| Date | 17 February 2005 |
| Creators | Cottrill, James B. |
| Contributors | Bond, Jon R. |
| Publisher | Texas A&M University |
| Source Sets | Texas A and M University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Book, Thesis, Electronic Dissertation, text |
| Format | 686598 bytes, electronic, application/pdf, born digital |
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