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The nationalization of electoral cycles in the United States: a wavelet analysis

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  • Luís Aguiar-Conraria
  • Pedro Magalhães
  • Maria Soares

Abstract

We take a new look at electoral sectionalism and dynamic nationalization in presidential elections. We treat this problem as one of synchronism of electoral cycles, which we estimate by using wavelets. After providing a self-contained introduction to wavelet analysis, we use it to assess the degree and the dynamics of electoral synchronization in the United States. We determine clusters of states where electoral swings have been more and less in sync with each other and with the national cycle. Then, we analyze how the degree of synchronism of electoral cycles has changed through time, answering questions as to when, to what extent, and where has a tendency towards a “universality of political trends” in presidential elections been more strongly felt. We present evidence strongly in favor of an increase in the dynamic nationalization of presidential elections taking place since the 1950s, largely associated with a convergence in most (but not all) Southern states. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media New York 2013

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  • Luís Aguiar-Conraria & Pedro Magalhães & Maria Soares, 2013. "The nationalization of electoral cycles in the United States: a wavelet analysis," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 156(3), pages 387-408, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:pubcho:v:156:y:2013:i:3:p:387-408
    DOI: 10.1007/s11127-012-0052-8
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    Cited by:

    1. Bilgili, Faik & Mugaloglu, Erhan & Koçak, Emrah, 2018. "The impact of oil prices on CO2 emissions in China: A Wavelet coherence approach," MPRA Paper 90170, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Faik Bilgili & Emrah Koçak & Sevda Kuşkaya, 2023. "Dynamics and Co-movements Between the COVID-19 Outbreak and the Stock Market in Latin American Countries: An Evaluation Based on the Wavelet-Partial Wavelet Coherence Model," Evaluation Review, , vol. 47(4), pages 630-652, August.
    3. Rita Sousa & Luís Francisco Aguiar-Conraria & Maria Joana Soares, 2014. "Carbon and Energy Prices: Surfing the Wavelets of California," NIPE Working Papers 19/2014, NIPE - Universidade do Minho.
    4. Sbarile, Andrea & Blampied, Nicolás, 2024. "Conflict Inflation, Political Exchange and Failed Stabilization in Post-Convertibility Argentina," Economia Internazionale / International Economics, Camera di Commercio Industria Artigianato Agricoltura di Genova, vol. 77(2), pages 265-292.
    5. Bilgili, Faik & Kassouri, Yacouba & Kuşkaya, Sevda & Majok Garang, Aweng Peter, 2024. "The dynamic nexus of oil price fluctuations and banking sector in China: A continuous wavelet analysis," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    6. Aguiar-Conraria, Luís & Martins, Manuel M.F. & Soares, Maria Joana, 2020. "Okun’s Law across time and frequencies," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    7. Flor, Michael A. & Klarl, Torben, 2017. "On the cyclicity of regional house prices: New evidence for U.S. metropolitan statistical areas," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 134-156.
    8. Kuşkaya, Sevda, 2022. "Residential solar energy consumption and greenhouse gas nexus: Evidence from Morlet wavelet transforms," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 192(C), pages 793-804.
    9. Rita Sousa & Luís Aguiar-Conraria & Maria Joana Soares, 2014. "Carbon Financial Markets: a time-frequency analysis of CO2 price drivers," NIPE Working Papers 03/2014, NIPE - Universidade do Minho.
    10. Mustapha Olalekan Ojo & Luís Aguiar-Conraria & Maria Joana Soares, 2020. "A time–frequency analysis of the Canadian macroeconomy and the yield curve," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 58(5), pages 2333-2351, May.
    11. Mustapha Olalekan Ojo & Luís Aguiar‐Conraria & Maria Joana Soares, 2024. "The performance of OECD's composite leading indicator," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(2), pages 2265-2277, April.
    12. Safdari, H. & Hosseiny, A. & Vasheghani Farahani, S. & Jafari, G.R., 2016. "A picture for the coupling of unemployment and inflation," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 444(C), pages 744-750.
    13. Bilgili, Faik & Kuşkaya, Sevda & Toğuç, Nurhan & Muğaloğlu, Erhan & Koçak, Emrah & Bulut, Ümit & Bağlıtaş, H. Hilal, 2019. "A revisited renewable consumption-growth nexus: A continuous wavelet approach through disaggregated data," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 1-19.
    14. Antony, Jürgen & Klarl, Torben, 2020. "Estimating the income inequality-health relationship for the United States between 1941 and 2015: Will the relevant frequencies please stand up?," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 17(C).
    15. Funashima, Yoshito, 2017. "Time-varying leads and lags across frequencies using a continuous wavelet transform approach," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 24-28.
    16. Bilgili, Faik, 2015. "Business cycle co-movements between renewables consumption and industrial production: A continuous wavelet coherence approach," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 325-332.
    17. Tiwari, Aviral Kumar & Albulescu, Claudiu Tiberiu, 2016. "Oil price and exchange rate in India: Fresh evidence from continuous wavelet approach and asymmetric, multi-horizon Granger-causality tests," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 179(C), pages 272-283.
    18. Bilgili, Faik & Koçak, Emrah & Kuşkaya, Sevda & Bulut, Ümit, 2020. "Estimation of the co-movements between biofuel production and food prices: A wavelet-based analysis," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 213(C).
    19. Erdost Torun & Afife Duygu Ayhan Akdeniz & Erhan Demireli & Simon Grima, 2022. "Long-Term US Economic Growth and the Carbon Dioxide Emissions Nexus: A Wavelet-Based Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-16, August.
    20. Bilgili, Faik & Kocak, Emrah & Kuskaya, Sevda & Bulut, Umit, 2022. "Co-movements and causalities between ethanol production and corn prices in the USA: New evidence from wavelet transform analysis," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 259(C).
    21. Luís Aguiar-Conraria & Pedro Brinca & Haukur Viðar Guðjónsson & Maria Joana Soares, 2015. "Optimum Currency Area and Business Cycle Synchronization Across U.S. States," NIPE Working Papers 1/2015, NIPE - Universidade do Minho.
    22. Román Ferrer & Rafael Benítez & Vicente J. Bolós, 2021. "Interdependence between Green Financial Instruments and Major Conventional Assets: A Wavelet-Based Network Analysis," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 9(8), pages 1-20, April.
    23. Bilgili, Faik, 1999. "Yeni Klasik kurama göre bütçe politikalarının değerlendirilmesi [An evaluation of New Classical arguments on budget policies]," MPRA Paper 80771, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    24. Mustapha Olalekan Ojo & Luís Aguiar-Conraria & Maria Joana Soares, 2019. "A Time-Frequency Analysis of Sovereign Debt Contagion in Europe," NIPE Working Papers 11/2019, NIPE - Universidade do Minho.
    25. Luís Aguiar-Conraria & Maria Joana Soares, 2014. "The Continuous Wavelet Transform: Moving Beyond Uni- And Bivariate Analysis," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(2), pages 344-375, April.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Electoral cycles synchronism; Nationalization; Wavelet analysis; H70; C32; D72;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H70 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - General
    • C32 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Time-Series Models; Dynamic Quantile Regressions; Dynamic Treatment Effect Models; Diffusion Processes; State Space Models
    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior

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