Social Justification and Political Legitimacy: How Voters Rationalize Direct Democratic Economic Policy in America 9783030517151

This volume explores voters’ political rationalizations. The author analyzes semi-structured interview data from 120 Ame

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Social Justification and Political Legitimacy: How Voters Rationalize Direct Democratic Economic Policy in America
 9783030517151

Table of contents :
Acknowledgments
Contents
List of Tables
1 Introduction
Empirical Issue: Direct Democratic Economic Policy (DDEP) Legitimation
Empirical Puzzles
Empirical Agenda
Research Question 1: How Do Partisanship and Self-interest Interact to Shape Partisan Voters’ Rationalizations of Their Position on Direct Democratic Economic Policy (DDEP)?
Research Question 2: What Are the Discourses That Voters Draw Upon to Rationalize Their Direct Democratic Economic Policy (DDEP) Position?
Theory Building Agenda and Generalizability
Case Selection
Research Design
Research Agenda for the Selection of Each of the Three Ballot Measures
Chapter Overview
Bibliography
Part I
2 Theory
Introduction
Legitimacy and Legitimation
Legitimacy
Legitimation
Framework for Research Questions
Widely Held Beliefs
Values: Most Sacred Values
Normative Ends: Norms of Self-Interest
Standards of Governance: Fairness
Fairness: Moral Economy
Fairness: Neoliberalism
Building on Direct Democracy Literature
Literature in Political Science and Economics on Direct Democracy
Debate on Direct Versus Representative Democracy
Bibilography
3 Analytical Approach and Broader American Political and Economic Discourses
Analytical Approach
Generalizability
Outline of Code Generation Process
Coding: Turning Talk into “Rationales”
Core Theories
Core Theories: Most Sacred Values
Normative Ends: Norms of Self-Interest
Inductively Generated Codes
Fairness: Moral Economy
Fairness: Neoliberalism
Bibliography
4 Data and Methods
Semi-structured Interview Procedures
Quasi-Experimental Research Design
Operationalization of Quasi-Independent Variables
Operationalization of Partisanship as Partisan Affiliation
Operationalization of Self-Interest as Economic Position
Summary of Quasi-Independent Variable Operationalizations
Theoretical Sampling Strategy
Recruitment Criteria
Recruitment Practices
Achieved Case Set
Bibliography
Part II
5 Proposition 201 (2008)
Introduction
Arizona’s Proposition 201 (2008): “Homeowners’ Bill of Rights”
Social Context
Background of the Measure
Summary of Arizona’s Proposition 201 (2008): “Homeowners’ Bill of Rights”
Quasi-Experimental Design and Quasi-Independent Variables
Research Design
Quasi-Independent Variables
Quasi-Independent Variable 1: Economic Position
Quasi-Independent Variable 2: Partisan Affiliation
Quasi-Independent Variable 3: DDEP Position
Quasi-Experimental Anomalies: Legitimations that Span Economic Position and/or Partisan Affiliation
Libertarianism
Neoliberalism
Moral Economy
Legitimations: Operationalization as Rationales and Coding
Rationales
Rationale Types
Economic Position Rationales
Partisan Affiliation Rationales
Anomalous Rationales: Libertarianism
Anomalous Rationales: Neoliberalism
Anomalous Rationales: Moral Economy
Analysis
Rationales and Rationale Groupings
Distinctive Partisan Affiliation (Partisanship) and Economic Position (Self-Interest) Legitimations
Legitimations Distinctive of Partisan Affiliation (Partisanship) and DDEP Position Alignment and Opposition
Findings for RQ1
Findings for RQ2
Legitimations Distinctive of Economic Position (Self-Interest) and DDEP Position Alignment and Opposition
Findings for RQ1
Findings for RQ2
Legitimations Distinctive of Alignments and Oppositions of Economic Position (Self-Interest), Partisan Affiliation (Partisanship), and DDEP Position
Expected DDEP Position for Economic Position and Partisan Affiliation
Findings for RQ1
Findings for RQ2
Unexpected DDEP Position for Economic Position and Partisan Affiliation
Findings for RQ1
Findings for RQ2
Conflicting Expectations: Expected DDEP Position for Economic Position, Unexpected DDEP Position for Partisan Affiliation
Findings for RQ1
Findings for RQ2
Findings for RQ1
Findings for RQ2
Conflicting Expectations: Expected DDEP Position for Partisan Affiliation, Unexpected DDEP Position for Economic Position
Findings for RQ1
Findings for RQ2
Bibliography
6 Proposition 202 (2008)
Introduction
Arizona’s Proposition 202 (2008): “Arizona Stop Illegal Hiring”
Social Context
Background of the Measure
Summary of Arizona’s Proposition 202 (2008): “Arizona Stop Illegal Hiring”
Quasi-Experimental Design and Quasi-Independent Variables
Research Design
Quasi-Independent Variables
Quasi-Independent Variable 1: Economic Position
Quasi-Independent Variable 2: Partisan Affiliation
Quasi-Independent Variable 3: DDEP Position
Quasi-Experimental Anomalies: Legitimations That Span Economic Position and/or Partisan Affiliation
Libertarianism
Neoliberalism
Moral Economy
Legitimations: Operationalization as Rationales and Coding
Rationales
Rationale Types
Economic Position Rationales
Partisan Affiliation Rationales
Anomalous Rationales: Libertarianism
Anomalous Rationales: Neoliberalism
Anomalous Rationales: Moral Economy
Analysis
Rationales and Rationale Groupings
Distinctive Partisan Affiliation (Partisanship) and Economic Position (Self-Interest) Legitimations
Legitimations Distinctive of Partisan Affiliation (Partisanship) and DDEP Position Alignment and Opposition
Legitimations Distinctive of Economic Position (Self-Interest) and DDEP Position Alignment and Opposition
Legitimations Distinctive of Alignments Economic Position (Self-Interest), Partisan Affiliation (Partisanship), and DDEP Position
Expected DDEP Position for Economic Position and Partisan Affiliation
Unexpected DDEP Position for Economic Position and Partisan Affiliation
Conflicting Expectations: Expected DDEP Position for Economic Position, Unexpected DDEP Position for Partisan Affiliation
Conflicting Expectations: Expected DDEP Position for Partisan Affiliation, Unexpected DDEP Position for Economic Position
Bibliography
7 Proposition 204 (2012)
Introduction
Arizona’s Proposition 204 (2012): “The Quality Education and Jobs Act”
Social Context
Background of the Measure
Summary of Arizona’s Proposition 204 (2012): “The Quality Education and Jobs Act”
Quasi-experimental Design and Quasi-independent Variables
Research Design
Quasi-independent Variables
Quasi-independent Variable 1: Economic Position
Quasi-independent Variable 2: Partisan Affiliation
Quasi-independent Variable 3: DDEP Position
Quasi-experimental Anomalies: Legitimations That Span Economic Position and/or Partisan Affiliation
Libertarianism
Neoliberalism
Moral Economy
Legitimations: Operationalization as Rationales and Coding
Rationales
Rationale Types
Economic Position Rationales
Partisan Affiliation Rationales
Anomalous Rationales: Libertarianism
Anomalous Rationales: Neoliberalism
Anomalous Rationales: Moral Economy
Analysis
Rationales and Rationale Groupings
Distinctive Partisan Affiliation (Partisanship) and Economic Position (Self-Interest) Legitimations
Legitimations Distinctive of Partisan Affiliation (Partisanship) and DDEP Position Alignment and Opposition
Findings for RQ1
Findings for RQ2
Findings for RQ1
Findings for RQ2
Legitimations Distinctive of Economic Position (Self-Interest) and DDEP Position Alignment and Opposition
Findings for RQ1
Legitimations Distinctive of Alignments and Oppositions of Economic Position (Self-Interest), Partisan Affiliation (Partisanship), and DDEP Position
Expected DDEP Position for Economic Position and Partisan Affiliation
Findings for RQ1
Findings for RQ2
Findings for RQ1
Findings for RQ2
Unexpected DDEP Position for Economic Position and Partisan Affiliation
Findings for RQ1
Findings for RQ2
Findings for RQ1
Findings for RQ2
Conflicting Expectations: Expected DDEP Position for Economic Position, Unexpected DDEP Position for Partisan Affiliation
Findings for RQ1
Findings for RQ2
Conflicting Expectations: Expected DDEP Position for Partisan Affiliation, Unexpected DDEP Position for Economic Position
Findings for RQ1
Findings for RQ2
Bibliography
8 Moral Economies
Introduction
Literature Review: Moral Economy
Qualitative Approach
Rationales
Legitimations and Rationale Groupings
Proposition 201 (2008)
Summary of Arizona’s Proposition 201 (2008): “Homeowners’ Bill of Rights”
Proposition 201 (2008) Rationales
Empirical Analysis for Proposition 201 (2008)
Moral Economy of Support
Moral Economy of Opposition
Proposition 202 (2008)
Summary of Arizona’s Proposition 202 (2008): “Arizona Stop Illegal Hiring”
Proposition 202 (2008) Rationales
Empirical Analysis for Proposition 202 (2008)
Moral Economy of Support
Moral Economy of Opposition
Proposition 204 (2012)
Summary of Arizona’s Proposition 204 (2012): “The Quality Education and Jobs Act”
Proposition 204 (2012) Rationales
Empirical Analysis for Proposition 204 (2012)
Moral Economy of Support
Moral Economy of Opposition
Bibliography
9 Conclusion and Theory Building
Introduction
Theory Building Agenda and Generalizability
Research Question 1: How Do Partisanship and Self-Interest Interact to Shape Partisan Voters’ Rationalizations of Their Position on Direct Democratic Economic Policy (DDEP)?
Legitimation
Motives That Influence Legitimation
Research Question 2: What are the Discourses That Voters Draw Upon to Rationalize Their Direct Democratic Economic Policy (DDEP) Position?
Values, Normative Ends, and Standards of Governance
Normative Ends (Norms of Self-Interest)
Proposition 201
Proposition 202
Implications for Findings: Norms of Self-Interest as Folk Economics
Values (Most Sacred Values)
Proposition 201
Proposition 202
Implications
Libertarianism (Most Sacred Values)
Proposition 202
Neoliberalism (Standards of Governance)
Proposition 201
Proposition 202
Proposition 204
Moral Economy (Standards of Governance)
Proposition 201
Proposition 202
Implications and Future Directions
Socialization
Voter Ignorance
Populism
Bibliography
Index

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