Suchergebnisse

ObjectiveThis article investigates whether public officials exhibit "cognitive shirking" prior to announcing retirement by changing the way they communicate during their final term.MethodI analyze monthly speeches made by members of the U.S. House between the 105th and 109th terms, and collect data on psychological indicators found to indicate changes in cognition. A mixed effect logistic regression examines whether these indicators increase the probability of retirement before the end of the term.ResultsThe probability of retirement is amplified by increases in the level of cognitive inconsistency they display in public speeches.ConclusionPublic officials, when deciding whether to retire from politics, display patterns of shifting priorities before and after making their retirement announcement. This suggests that representatives' justifications for policy choices go through significant reorganization as the electoral connection is severed.

Increased focus on the judicial qualifications of female U.S. Supreme Court nominees prompts an examination of barriers obstructing women's rise to this apex position. Contrary to scholars who emphasize "pipeline" theories of how increased women in the law will de facto increase the number of women in the judiciary, or that ideology as the primary predictor of confirmation votes regardless of gender, we argue that women nominees appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee must also clear an additional gendered hurdle. Incorporating the literature on the double bind and gender norm theories of women in leadership, we scrutinize all formal opening statements from Supreme Court nominees between 1981 and 2022 to decipher challenges female nominees' encounter. Using a structural topic model approach to compare opening statements from men and women nominees, we demonstrate how societal constructs compel women nominees to navigate a precarious path toward confirmation. We find that women nominees must fashion themselves as both strong legal advocate and soft, feminine wife and mother, exemplifying gendered social roles and the double bind for women in leadership. These findings bear significance for comprehending women's underrepresentation in the judiciary and how gender biases permeate the hearing process beyond Senatorial bias.

In this volume, scholars from across the United States come together to discuss the most recent wave of redistricting Congress. Emphasizing the state-level factors and processes, the volume ultimately shows how national requirements and state requirements come together to permit states to be largely self-responsible for what they do in terms of drawing districts