Reassessing The Incumbency Effect
by Jeffrey M. Stonecash /
2008 / English / PDF
958.7 KB Download
Incumbents in the U.S. House of Representatives have presumably
increased their vote percentages in recent decades, raising
questions about the efficacy of elections in making members
responsive. The evidence, however, indicates there has been no
improvement in the electoral fortunes of incumbents in the last 50
years. Only Republicans have improved their electoral fortunes as a
result of realignment. This valuable book provides a very different
interpretation of how incumbents have fared in recent decades, and
the interpretation is supported by non-technical data analysis and
presentation.
Incumbents in the U.S. House of Representatives have presumably
increased their vote percentages in recent decades, raising
questions about the efficacy of elections in making members
responsive. The evidence, however, indicates there has been no
improvement in the electoral fortunes of incumbents in the last 50
years. Only Republicans have improved their electoral fortunes as a
result of realignment. This valuable book provides a very different
interpretation of how incumbents have fared in recent decades, and
the interpretation is supported by non-technical data analysis and
presentation.
