Date of Award:
12-2022
Document Type:
Thesis
Degree Name:
Master of Science (MS)
Department:
Political Science
Committee Chair(s)
Damon Cann
Committee
Damon Cann
Committee
Greg Goelzhauser
Committee
Austin Knuppe
Abstract
This paper investigates whether caucus members pursue bipartisan collaboration on bills related to polarized or non-polarized policy issues. The aim is to determine whether caucuses may be used to pursue bipartisan solutions to major policy issues in an increasingly polarized political environment. I model the effect that the presence of a women’s caucus has on bipartisan collaboration in increasingly polarized legislatures, depending on whether a bill’s title contains words related to polarized issues and its overall sentiment. Findings indicate that bipartisan women may be more likely to collaborate on polarized bills then non-polarized bills in legislatures with a women’s caucus and in legislatures without a women’s caucus if polarization is low; and that the presence of a women’s caucus may not encourage bipartisan collaboration overall amongst women legislators but may reduce the rate at which increasing polarization slows their bipartisan collaboration on polarized bills. This paper illustrates a new way to measure the polarization level of bills and begins to consider how their polarization level may affect bipartisan collaboration.
Checksum
01ae0f925ee320fb6bd3c0c6f0321a35
Recommended Citation
Holden, Kaitlin, "Bipartisn Bills from Caucus Collaboration: Solutions to Polarized or Non-Polarized Issues?" (2022). All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023. 8686.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/8686
Included in
Copyright for this work is retained by the student. If you have any questions regarding the inclusion of this work in the Digital Commons, please email us at .