Spatial Models Of Parliamentary Voting

by Keith T. Poole

• ISBN13: 9780521617475
• ISBN10: 0521617472
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-04-11
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

This book presents a simple geometric model of voting as a tool to analyze parliamentary roll call data. Each legislator is represented by one point and each roll call is represented by two points that correspond to the policy consequences of voting Yea or Nay. On every roll call each legislator votes for the closer outcome point, at least probabilistically. These points form a spatial map that summarizes the roll calls. In this sense a spatial map is much like a road map because it visually depicts the political world of a legislature. The closeness of two legislators on the map shows how similar their voting records are, and the distribution of legislators shows what the dimensions are. These maps can be used to study a wide variety of topics including how political parties evolve over time, the existence of sophisticated voting and how an executive influences legislative outcomes.

Table of Contents

List of Tables and Figures	xi
Preface	xv
1. Introduction	1	(17)
Overview	1	(1)
Theory and Meaning	2	(2)
A Theory of Spatial Maps	4	(10)
The 1964 Civil Rights Act	14	(1)
A Road Map to the Rest of This Book	15	(3)
2. The Geometry of Parliamentary Roll Call Voting	18	(28)
Overview	18	(1)
The Geometry in One Dimension	19	(11)
The Geometry in More than One Dimension	30	(7)
The Relationship to the Geometry of Probit and Logit	37	(4)
Conclusion	41	(1)
Appendix	41	(5)
3. The Optimal Classification Method	46	(42)
Overview	46	(3)
The One-Dimensional Maximum Classification Scaling Problem - The Janice Algorithm	49	(11)
The Multidimensional Maximum Classification Scaling Problem	60	(22)
Overall OC Algorithm	82	(3)
Conclusion	85	(1)
Appendix	86	(2)
4. Probabilistic Spatial Models of Parliamentary Voting	88	(40)
Overview	88	(1)
The Deterministic Portion of the Utility Function	89	(8)
The Stochastic Portion of the Utility Function	97	(4)
Estimation of Probabilistic Spatial Voting Models	101	(12)
Statistical Issues	113	(13)
Conclusion	126	(2)
5. Practical Issues in Computing Spatial Models of Parliamentary Voting	128	(34)
Overview	128	(1)
Standardized Measures of Fit	129	(1)
How to Get Reasonable Starting Values for the Legislator Ideal Points	130	(11)
How Many Dimensions Should I Estimate?	141	(14)
The Problem of Constraints	155	(4)
Computing Made Easy - Some Simple Tricks to Make Estimation Tractable	159	(1)
Conclusion	160	(2)
6. Conducting Natural Experiments with Roll Calls	162	(35)
Overview	162	(1)
Multiple-Individuals Experiments	163	(9)
Large-Scale Experiments Using DW-NOMINATE	172	(15)
Estimating a Common Spatial Map for Two Different Legislatures	187	(8)
Conclusion	195	(2)
7. Conclusion	197	(14)
Overview	197	(1)
The Scientific Status of Geometric Models of Choice and Judgment	197	(5)
Unsolved Problems	202	(7)
Conclusion	209	(2)
References	211	(14)
Index	225