Article
Partisanship, Social Identity, and American Government: Reality and Reflections
Lewis & Clark Law Review
(2018)
Abstract
On the conventional account of American voter behavior, voters assess policy options in a range of areas, they develop preferences among those options, and then they bring those preferences to bear when casting their ballots on Election Day. In this symposium contribution, Professor Pettys begins by pointing out ways in which this conventional belief in a policy-driven electorate undergirds important constitutional doctrines in the areas of voting, speech, and federalism. He then examines the substantial body of evidence indicating that electoral behavior often has little to do with voters' autonomous evaluation of policy options and has much to do with the belief- and behavior-shaping power of voters' social identifications, particularly those of a politically partisan variety. Professor Pettys closes by reflecting on ways in which those who teach and write about the law might respond to this continually growing body of empirical work.
Keywords
- partisanship,
- social identity
Disciplines
Publication Date
2018
Citation Information
Todd E. Pettys. "Partisanship, Social Identity, and American Government: Reality and Reflections" Lewis & Clark Law Review Vol. 22 Iss. 2 (2018) p. 301 - 334 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/todd_pettys/27/