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Party Competition and Welfare Policies in the American States

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  • Cnudde, Charles F.
  • Mccrone, Donald J.

Abstract

Recent comparative, quantitative studies of state politics conclude that party competition and other political variables have little or no impact on important state policies such as per pupil expenditure, old age assistance, unemployment compensation, and aid to dependent children. These are rather unexpected and disturbing conclusions for they disconfirm relationships predicted by some of the most important theoretical formulations concerning democratic politics. Before re-examining the bases for these conclusions, a review of theory is in order. V. O. Key, Jr., set the context for examining the effects of political variables on state policies. He stressed the importance of two-party competition, or bi-factionalism in one-party states, as a determinant of policy. Key sees the degree of party competition as crucial because it reflects the extent to which politics is organized or unorganized. Party competition by producing some semblance of an organized politics lessens the difficulty of lower status groups in sorting out political actors and issues, thereby enabling them to promote their own interests more effectively. Since state social welfare policies are undoubtedly relevant to the interests of “have-nots,” we can utilize state expenditures in this area as a measure of the success that these groups have enjoyed. Key's formulation, then, would lead to a simple two variable model: P = e1 S = k1P + ez Where P is inter-party competition, S is expenditure on social welfare, and e1 and ez represent error or variables left out of the system, and k1 is a constant.

Suggested Citation

  • Cnudde, Charles F. & Mccrone, Donald J., 1969. "Party Competition and Welfare Policies in the American States," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 63(3), pages 858-866, November.
  • Handle: RePEc:cup:apsrev:v:63:y:1969:i:03:p:858-866_25
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    Cited by:

    1. Gathmann, Christina & Boyer, Pierre, 2015. "Trial and Error? Reelection Concerns and Policy Experimentation during the US Welfare Reform," VfS Annual Conference 2015 (Muenster): Economic Development - Theory and Policy 112844, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    2. Douglas D. Roscoe, 2014. "Yes, Raise My Taxes: Property Tax Cap Override Elections," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 95(1), pages 145-164, March.
    3. Natasha V. Christie, 2014. "Racial Neutrality by Any Other Name: An Examination of Collateral Consequence Policies in the United States," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 95(2), pages 541-562, June.
    4. Ruth Young & George Rolleston & Charles Geisler, 1984. "Competitive structure and fiscal policy," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 14(4), pages 421-452, May.
    5. Francois Petry, 1988. "The Policy Impact of Canadian Party Programs: Public Expenditure Growth and Contagion from the Left," Canadian Public Policy, University of Toronto Press, vol. 14(4), pages 376-389, December.

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