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The Social Context of Political Change: Durability, Volatility, and Social Influence

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2014

R. Robert Huckfeldt
R. Robert Huckfeldt*
Affiliation:
University of Notre Dame
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Abstract

This article translates several explanations for contextual effects upon politics into mathematical, dynamic representations. These representations are used to consider several questions. Under what circumstances does the social context lead to durability and volatility in mass political preferences? Do different specifications of contextual influence lead to different conclusions regarding its dynamic consequences? Does the social context have different dynamic implications for individual preference and for the aggregate preferences of the population as a whole? These questions are not addressed by gathering and analyzing data, but rather by examining the deductive consequences of the various explanations for contextual influence.

Type
Research Article
Information
American Political Science Review , Volume 77 , Issue 4 , December 1983 , pp. 929 - 944
Copyright
Copyright © American Political Science Association 1983

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