by invitation only

Electoral competition between candidates and parties is a necessary condition for democracy. This workshop will assemble papers that examine the state of competition in U.S. elections. The papers will address a variety of broad yet basic questions that have important implications for our understanding of elections, including how to measure a political candidate, why the attributes of competitors vary over time, and how changes in competition matter for the quality of American democracy. Although the papers will focus on the U.S., the themes are relevant across contexts in which competition among candidates and parties is central to political legitimacy.
Organized by
Danielle Thomsen
and
Nolan McCarty
8:30 – 9:00am Breakfast
9:00 – 9:15am Opening Remarks
9:15 – 10:15am
Sarah Treul, University of North Carolina
Candidate Inexperience in Congressional Primaries
Discussant: Patricia Kirkland, Princeton University
10:15 – 11:15am
Adam Bonica, Stanford University
Why Are There So Many Lawyers in Congress?ajk.pdf
Discussant: Hye Young You, New York University
11:15 – 11:30am Break
11:30 – 12:30pm
Stephen Ansolabehere, Harvard University
Representation, the Constituents' Perspective
Discussant: Sebastian Thieme, Princeton/CSDP Fellow
12:30 – 1:30pm Lunch
1:30 – 2:30pm
Danielle Thomsen, Princeton/CSDP and University of California Irvine
Dropout Decisions in U.S. House Elections
Discussant: Nolan McCarty, Princeton University
2:30 – 3:30pm
Seth Masket, University of Denver
The Persistence of Faction: Clinton and Sanders Supporters in the 2018 Gubernatorial Primaries
Discussant: Brandice Canes-Wrone, Princeton University
3:30 – 3:45pm Break
3:45 – 4:30pm
Discussion and Concluding Remarks
9:00 – 9:15am Opening Remarks
9:15 – 10:15am
Sarah Treul, University of North Carolina
Candidate Inexperience in Congressional Primaries
Discussant: Patricia Kirkland, Princeton University
10:15 – 11:15am
Adam Bonica, Stanford University
Why Are There So Many Lawyers in Congress?ajk.pdf
Discussant: Hye Young You, New York University
11:15 – 11:30am Break
11:30 – 12:30pm
Stephen Ansolabehere, Harvard University
Representation, the Constituents' Perspective
Discussant: Sebastian Thieme, Princeton/CSDP Fellow
12:30 – 1:30pm Lunch
1:30 – 2:30pm
Danielle Thomsen, Princeton/CSDP and University of California Irvine
Dropout Decisions in U.S. House Elections
Discussant: Nolan McCarty, Princeton University
2:30 – 3:30pm
Seth Masket, University of Denver
The Persistence of Faction: Clinton and Sanders Supporters in the 2018 Gubernatorial Primaries
Discussant: Brandice Canes-Wrone, Princeton University
3:30 – 3:45pm Break
3:45 – 4:30pm
Discussion and Concluding Remarks