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Chapter 18: Problem 6

Many political observers have noted that Republican presidential candidates tend to emphasize their conservative positions on policy issues while running for their party's nomination, and Democratic presidential candidates tend to emphasize their liberal positions on policy issues while running for their party's nomination. In the general election, though, Republican candidates tend to downplay their conservative positions, and Democratic candidates tend to downplay their liberal positions. Can the median voter theorem help explain this pattern? Briefly explain.

Short Answer

Expert verified
Yes, the Median Voter Theorem can explain this pattern. Candidates in party nominations have to appeal to the median voter of their party base which is more conservative for Republicans and more liberal for Democrats, hence they emphasize on those positions. However, during the general election, they have to appeal to the median voter in the entire population, which is relatively moderate, hence they downplay their extreme positions.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding Median Voter Theorem (MVT)

Firstly, let's comprehend the Median Voter Theorem (MVT). This theorem states that given certain conditions, the median voter's preference will always win out in majority-rule voting systems. This is because the position of the median voter (the voter in the middle of the political spectrum) on an issue will be adopted by politicians to win in an election.
02

Applying MVT to Party Nominations

During party nominations, Republican candidates lean towards conservative positions to woo the median voter within their party. Similarly, Democratic candidates lean towards liberal positions to win the nomination within their party. This adjustment in stance is to appeal to the median voter within their respective party base, which is either more conservative or more liberal based on the party's ideology.
03

Applying MVT to General Elections

During the general election, they downplay their extreme positions because now they have to appeal to the median voter in the general populace, not within their specific party. Therefore, Republican candidates downplay conservative positions, and Democratic candidates downplay liberal positions. This is because the aim now is to appeal to the median voter in the entire electorate, which is typically more moderate than the median voter of either party.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

(Related to the Chapter Opener on page 600) An article in the New York Times noted that a proposal by 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton would "increase taxes on the wealthiest Americans to combat a widening gap between rich and poor." a. Currently, does the effect of federal taxes make the distribution of income more or less equal? Briefly explain. b. What are the benefits and drawbacks of using the federal income tax code to reduce income inequality?

What is the difference between a marginal tax rate and an average tax rate? Which is more important in determining the effect of a change in taxes on economic behavior?

What is the public choice model?

An article in the Economist on the work of the late Nobel Laureate James Buchanan made the following observation: "It was important...to understand the ways that government could fail systematically." a. What does government failure mean in this context? How does public choice theory help us understand how "government could fail systematically"? b. The same article noted that "rent-seeking is a very useful concept to have around when thinking about policy." What is rent seeking? Why is the concept useful when thinking about policy?

Suppose that a country has 20 million households. Ten million are poor households that each have labor market earnings of \(\$ 20,000\) per year, and 10 million are rich households that each have labor market earnings of \(\$ 80,000\) per year. If the government enacted a marginal \(\operatorname{tax}\) of 10 percent on all labor market earnings above \(\$ 20,000\) and transferred this money to households earning \(\$ 20,000\), would the incomes of the poor rise by \(\$ 6,000\) per year? Briefly explain.
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