Pastine, Ivan and Pastine, Tuvana and Redmond, Paul (2012) Incumbent-Quality Advantage and Counterfactual Electoral Stagnation in the U.S. Senate. Working Paper. National University of Ireland Maynooth. (Unpublished)
![]() |
Download (143kB)
|
Abstract
This paper presents a simple statistical exercise to provide a benchmark for the degree of electoral stagnation without direct officeholder benefits or challenger scare-off effects. Here electoral stagnation arises solely due to incumbent-quality advantage where the higher quality candidate wins the election. The simulation is calibrated using the observed drop-out rates in the U.S. Senate. From 1946 to 2010, the observed incumbent reelection rate is 81.7 percent; the benchmark with incumbent-quality advantage alone is able to generate a reelection rate of 78.2 percent. In the sub-sample from 1946 to 1978, the reelection rate from the simulation is almost identical to the observed. The rates diverge in the second part of the sub-sample from 1980 to 2010, possibly indicating an increase in electoral stagnation due to incumbency advantage arising for reasons other than incumbent-quality advantage.
Item Type: | Monograph (Working Paper) |
---|---|
Keywords: | Incumbent-Quality Advantage; Counterfactual Electoral Stagnation; U.S. Senate; |
Academic Unit: | Faculty of Social Sciences > Economics, Finance and Accounting |
Item ID: | 3638 |
Depositing User: | Tuvana Pastine |
Date Deposited: | 08 May 2012 08:46 |
Publisher: | National University of Ireland Maynooth |
URI: | |
Use Licence: | This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here |
Repository Staff Only(login required)
![]() |
Item control page |
Downloads
Downloads per month over past year