Browsing by Subject "Ideal point estimation"

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Reconceptualizing divided government
(2014-05) Svensen, Eric Paul; Tulis, Jeffrey; Shaw, Daron R., 1966-
In this dissertation, I explain why scholars are unable to conclusively find evidence that divided government is the main determinant of legislative gridlock. I argue this unsettled debate is largely attributable to an imprecise conceptual view of inter-branch tensions, and that these conceptual limitations are exacerbated by unrefined measurement practices. I argue refined measures such as party polarization and gridlock intervals better explain institutional behavior than divided government. Using unique datasets estimating legislator preferences on domestic and foreign policy, findings show that when compared to more refined measures, split-party government is not the sole or even the most important source of partisan conflict. In addition, compared to other studies on divided government, I argue the reason the distinction between unified and divided government is often blurred is that a number of underlying political and institutional pressures make sweeping policy change difficult even for most unified governments. These factors contribute to the public’s growing dissatisfaction with government’s inability to solve many economic and social problems.
Who is pivotal? : a case study in changing ideology and tradition in the Texas Senate
(2018-12-06) Franks, William Brady; Oden, Michael
Shortly after the Texas Senate gaveled in the 84th Regular Session, they amended the method by which legislation is brought to the floor for full debate. This process, used for approximately seventy years, required two-thirds of the Senators present to support suspending the rules to bring forward a bill. In making this change, the Senators fundamentally altered not only policy development in the state, but also, who was pivotal in making the decision to consider legislation. This research will explore the history of the Senate’s two-thirds tradition and some of the numerous instances in which it was circumvented. Additionally, it will analyze a subset of bills that, but for the rule change, would not have been considered to determine the pivotal players in the Senate. It will then use that analysis to examine specific policy changes related to county and municipal land use planning and authority