Sticking to one’s guns: Mass Shootings and the Political Economy of Gun Control in the U.S.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hasin Yousaf
Keyword(s):  
Policy Issue ◽  
Gun Control ◽  
The Political ◽  
Difference In Differences ◽  
Mass Shootings ◽  
Gun Policy ◽  
Political Preferences ◽  
Random Events ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Strategy I

Abstract How do events that highlight a policy issue impact political preferences? In this paper, I analyze the impact of mass shootings on voter behavior. I show that, conditional on population, mass shootings are largely random events. Using a Difference-in-Differences strategy, I find that mass shootings result in a 1.7 percentage point loss in Republican vote share in counties where they occur. Identification that relies on comparing successful and failed mass shootings yields similar results. Mass shootings lead to an increase in the salience of gun policy and increase the divide on gun policy among both voters and politicians. Democrats (Republicans) tend to demand even stricter (looser) gun control after mass shootings. These results suggest that increasing the salience of an issue may polarize the electorate.

The Case Studies: Policy Issue Substance and the Political Behavior of Members of Congress

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
John S. Lapinski
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Political Behavior ◽  
Policy Issue ◽  
The Political ◽  
Empirical Testing ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Political Preferences ◽  
Low Dimensionality ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
The Impact

This chapter examines how policy issue substance matters for studying political preferences at the micro level, while reconsidering Poole and Rosenthal's analysis of the 95th Congress (1977–78). In their analysis of the 95th Congress, they find evidence that they interpret to mean that issue scales do not vary. The chapter suggests that it is possible to agree wholeheartedly with the low-dimensionality findings of Poole and Rosenthal, but at the same time, members of Congress have distinct preferences across policy issue areas. Measuring the preferences of members of Congress correctly is absolutely vital for empirical testing of theories and hypotheses as well as for inductive-based work on lawmaking. The remainder of the chapter presents five case studies of lawmaking, which show in a more fine-grained manner the impact of policy preferences across time and issues.

Gun Policy during the NRA’s Partisan Phase

2021 ◽  
pp. 186-218
Author(s):  
Matthew J. Lacombe
Keyword(s):  
Political System ◽  
Gun Control ◽  
Policy Outcomes ◽  
The Political ◽  
Gun Policy ◽  
Legislative Agenda

This chapter looks back to the beginning of the National Rifle Association's (NRA) partisan phase in order to explore the effects of this position on the group's ability to influence gun policy outcomes. The chapter — examining a number of gun policy cases from the 1980s through the 2010s — questions how would NRA's efforts to advance its agenda — and the effectiveness of those efforts — shift in light of its new place in the political system. It also investigates how would the ideational resources it had used in previous gun control battles come into play. Ultimately, the chapter displays how NRA's relationship with the GOP has opened up new avenues, including influence over both the contents and timing of the legislative agenda.

scholarly journals The Impact of Mass Shootings on Gun Policy

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Luca ◽  
Deepak Malhotra ◽  
Christopher Poliquin
Keyword(s):  
Mass Shootings ◽  
Gun Policy ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals The impact of mass shootings on gun policy

2020 ◽  
Vol 181 ◽  
pp. 104083 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Luca ◽  
Deepak Malhotra ◽  
Christopher Poliquin
Keyword(s):  
Mass Shootings ◽  
Gun Policy ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals Pre-Colonial Religious Institutions and Development: Evidence Through a Military Coup

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adeel Malik ◽  
Rinchan Ali Mirza
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Public Goods ◽  
Military Coup ◽  
The Political ◽  
Religious Institutions ◽  
Difference In Differences ◽  
Literacy Rate ◽  
Local Politicians ◽  
Political Economy Of Religion ◽  
The Impact

Abstract This paper offers a novel illustration of the political economy of religion by examining the impact of religious elites on development. We compile a unique database on holy Muslim shrines across Pakistani Punjab and construct a historical panel of literacy spanning over a century (1901-2011). Using the 1977 military take-over as a universal shock that gave control over public goods to politicians, our difference-in-differences analysis shows that areas with a greater concentration of shrines experienced a substantially retarded growth in literacy after the coup. Our results suggest that the increase in average literacy rate would have been higher by 13% in the post-coup period in the absence of shrine influence. We directly address the selection concern that shrines might be situated in areas predisposed to lower literacy expansion. Finally, we argue that the coup devolved control over public goods to local politicians, and shrine elites, being more averse to education since it undermines their power, suppressed its expansion in shrine-dense areas.

The Gun Debate

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip J. Cook ◽  
Kristin A. Goss
Keyword(s):  
Gun Violence ◽  
Gun Control ◽  
Special Interest Groups ◽  
Political Scientist ◽  
Political Climate ◽  
Public Officials ◽  
Mass Shootings ◽  
Gun Debate ◽  
Gun Culture ◽  
The Impact

No topic is more polarizing than guns and gun control. From a gun culture that took root early in American history to the mass shootings that repeatedly bring the public discussion of gun control to a fever pitch, the topic has preoccupied citizens, public officials, and special interest groups for decades. In this thoroughly revised second edition of The Gun Debate: What Everyone Needs to Know® noted economist Philip J. Cook and political scientist Kristin A. Goss delve into the issues that Americans debate when they talk about guns. With a balanced and broad-ranging approach, the authors thoroughly cover the latest research, data, and developments on gun ownership, gun violence, the firearms industry, and the regulation of firearms. The authors also tackle sensitive issues such as the impact of gun violence on quality of life, the influence of exposure to gun violence on mental health, home production of guns, arming teachers, the effect of concealed weapons on crime rates, and the ability of authorities to disarm people who aren’t allowed to have a gun. No discussion of guns in the U.S. would be complete without consideration of the history, culture, and politics that drive the passion behind the debate. Cook and Goss deftly explore the origins of the American gun culture and the makeup of both the gun rights and gun control movements. Written in question-and-answer format, this updated edition brings the debate up-to-date for the current political climate under Trump and will help readers make sense of the ideologically driven statistics and slogans that characterize our national conversation on firearms. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in getting a clear view of the issues surrounding guns and gun policy in America.

The Surprising Advance of Gun Control Politics after Parkland

2020 ◽  
pp. 213-236
Author(s):  
Sophia Young
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Gun Control ◽  
School Shooting ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Opportunity ◽  
Opportunity Structure ◽  
Mass Shootings ◽  
Columbine High School ◽  
Social Media Tools

The 1999 Columbine high school massacre marked the start of an era of recurrent US mass shootings in settings once considered safe. In the aftermath of each horrific event, gun safety advocates tried to persuade state and national politicians to adopt new regulations but with little success—until recently. This chapter compares the political aftereffects of six major mass shootings to illuminate why the 2018 Parkland high school shooting led to more political change in favor of gun regulations than the previous events. Despite an unfavorable partisan climate, the Parkland shooting spurred teenage activists adept with social media tools to take advantage of the political opportunity structure created by prior grassroots resistance organizing. In response, politicians—especially Democrats—have embraced the gun safety cause as never before.

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