The forthcoming article “Evaluating (in)experience in congressional elections” by Rachel Porter and Sarah A. Treul is summarized by the author below. Candidates for U.S. Congress with a history of holding elective office (as city councilors, state legislators, mayors, etc.) are thought to have a sizeable electoral advantage over candidates lacking an elected background. Having run and won office before, experienced candidates have an established campaign infrastructure and network of donors they can draw on from their campaign’s outset. Experienced candidates also benefit from their ..read more

The forthcoming article “Citizens as a democratic safeguard? The sequence of sanctioning elite attacks on democracy” by Marc S. Jacob is summarized by the author below. In various democracies worldwide, including Türkiye, Hungary, and Poland, democratically elected incumbents have eroded crucial democratic institutions during their terms. Many of these politicians have managed to maintain electoral support despite widespread public endorsement of democratic governance. This raises important questions: Why do voters often fail to oust these politicians in elections? And are there spe ..read more

The forthcoming article “Great expectations: The effect of unmet labor market expectations after higher education on ideology” by Loreto Cox is summarized by the author below. Higher education has massively expanded around the world—graduation rates in the OECD countries increased from 31% in 1995 to 49% in 2017 (OECD 2017). On average, higher education graduates earn 56% more than high school graduates (OECD 2017). Yet, there is great variation in outcomes and many graduates benefit less than they expected (or not at all) from their education. Teichler (2007) found that 19% of Euro ..read more

The forthcoming article “Can Close Election Regression Discontinuity Designs Identify Effects of Winning Politician Characteristics?” by John Marshall is summarized by the author below. More than one hundred published articles now use what I call politician characteristic regression discontinuity (PCRD) designs. These designs compare outcomes of interest across districts that narrowly elected politicians who differ in an observable characteristic X, such as gender, incumbency, party affiliation, or partisan alignment with other levels of government, from the candidate they defeated. PCRD ..read more

The forthcoming article “Whose critique matters? The effects of critic identity and audience on public opinion” by Yehonatan Abramson, Anil Menon, and Abir Gitlin is summarized by the author(s) below. Diaspora communities – overseas citizens or co-nationals abroad – have become increasingly active in criticizing their “homeland” (or country of origin). Eritreans abroad rallied in Geneva protesting against human rights violations in Eritrea; some segments within the Indian diaspora have voiced criticism over changes to India’s citizenship law; the 2022 invasion of Russia into Ukraine ..read more

The forthcoming article “Tempering Senses of Superiority: The Virtue of Magnanimity in Democracies” by Juman Kim is summarized by the author below.  The problems of increased polarization and mutual disrespect in politics have become so commonplace that they rarely surprise us any longer. We find it increasingly difficult to engage in dialogue and communication with our political adversaries. We tend to shamelessly disregard them so easily and hold them in contempt. We often belittle and despise them, asserting our own superiority. Such practices can inspire confidence and help ..read more

The forthcoming article “Is authority fungible? Legitimacy, domain congruence, and the limits of power in Africa” by Kate Baldwin, Kristen Kao, and Ellen Lust is summarized by the author(s) below. Scholars, policymakers, and development practitioners recognize that leaders’ de facto authority often differs significantly from their de jure powers, but they lack a clear understanding of what limits authority. Previous research has found leaders take on roles beyond their formal responsibilities, for example by organizing labor for community projects, collecting taxes, and brokering voter t ..read more

The forthcoming article “Expedience and experimentation: John Maynard Keynes and the politics of time” by Stefan Eich is summarized by the author below.  Questions of temporal politics—from time horizons to intertemporal decision-making—have recently acquired a new prominence and salience, no doubt partially driven by the pressing challenges of climate politics. Considerations of time have of course long been foundational for historians of political thought and political theorists have more recently attended to the temporal dimension of modern politics by reframing time as an ineliminabl ..read more

The forthcoming article “Presidential Cues and the Nationalization of Congressional Rhetoric, 1973–2016” by Benjamin S. Noble is summarized by the author below.  Presidents occupy a unique position as both the head of the executive branch and a de-facto party leader. In this dual role, they nationalize politics and polarize lawmaking. Members of Congress know this, and they reference the president in their rhetoric to nationalize debate and polarize constituents. However, I argue that lawmakers should reference the president more often when they are in the non-presidential part ..read more

The forthcoming article “The Political Consequences of Depression: How Conspiracy Beliefs, Participatory Inclinations, and Depression Affect Support for Political Violence” by Matthew A. Baum, James N. Druckman, Matthew D. Simonson, Jennifer Lin, Roy H. Perlis is summarized by the author(s) below.  The COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 election highlighted two concerning trends in contemporary America: increasing rates of depression and the possibility, if not the reality, of political violence. Despite frequent simplistic portrayals between mental health and politi ..read more