Scaling Models for Legislative Roll-Call Analysis

1972 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 1306-1315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Herbert F. Weisberg
Keyword(s):  
Scale Model ◽  
Roll Call ◽  
Survey Analysis ◽  
Guttman Scale ◽  
Congressional Voting ◽  
Scaling Model ◽  
Usual Procedure ◽  
Scaling Models ◽  
Guttman Scaling ◽  
Proximity Voting

Guttman scaling is the usual procedure for scaling legislative roll-call votes. This paper calls attention to an alternative scaling model—the proximity model. Under this model, legislators approve a consecutive set of items on the scale, without the cumulation required by the Guttman scale. Circumstances under which proximity voting is likely are discussed. Congressional voting on the Compromise of 1850 is analyzed in detail to illustrate the proximity model and to emphasize the possibility of obtaining faulty inferences if one uses the Guttman scale model when it is incorrect. Guttman scaling has been successful for contemporary Congresses, but the proximity model is seen to underlie some issues in the early 1970s. Proximity scaling is not limited to the legislative realm; it can be used in survey analysis and in attitudinal research more generally.

Mokken Scale Analysis: Discussion and Application

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 672-695
Author(s):  
Thomas DeVaney
Keyword(s):  
Item Response Theory ◽  
Item Response ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Scale Analysis ◽  
Guttman Scale ◽  
Response Theory ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Mokken Scale Analysis ◽  
Irt Models ◽  
Guttman Scaling

This article presents a discussion and illustration of Mokken scale analysis (MSA), a nonparametric form of item response theory (IRT), in relation to common IRT models such as Rasch and Guttman scaling. The procedure can be used for dichotomous and ordinal polytomous data commonly used with questionnaires. The assumptions of MSA are discussed as well as characteristics that differentiate a Mokken scale from a Guttman scale. MSA is illustrated using the mokken package with R Studio and a data set that included over 3,340 responses to a modified version of the Statistical Anxiety Rating Scale. Issues addressed in the illustration include monotonicity, scalability, and invariant ordering. The R script for the illustration is included.

Congressional Voting on Labor Issues: The Role of PACS

ILR Review ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory M. Saltzman
Keyword(s):  
House Of Representatives ◽  
Political Action ◽  
Roll Call ◽  
Roll Call Voting ◽  
Congressional Voting ◽  
Action Committee ◽  
Labor Issues ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Significant Direct Effect

This study measures the impact of labor and corporate political action committee (PAC) contributions on the voting of members of the House of Representatives on labor issues during 1979–80. It also analyzes the allocation of labor PAC contributions among House candidates. PAC contributions were found to have a significant direct effect on roll-call voting, even controlling for the Representative's political party and characteristics of the constituency. Since PAC money also affects roll-call voting indirectly (by influencing which party wins elections), the overall impact of PAC money on Congressional voting is probably substantial. The author also finds that labor PACs have focused more on influencing the outcome of elections than on currying favor with powerful members of the House who are likely to be re-elected anyway.

The Linkage between Constituency Attitudes and Congressional Voting Behavior: A Causal Model

1966 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles F. Cnudde ◽  
Donald J. McCrone
Keyword(s):  
Civil Rights ◽  
Political Science ◽  
Voting Behavior ◽  
Main Body ◽  
Roll Call ◽  
Political Issues ◽  
Congressional Voting ◽  
Theoretical Question ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Policy Agreement

Warren E. Miller and Donald E. Stokes' publication in 1963 of a preliminary report on the Survey Research Center's representation study is an important landmark in the development of empirical political theory. That report addressed itself to the crucial theoretical question of the linkage between mass political opinions and governmental policy-making. More specifically, the report found considerable policy agreement between Congressional roll call votes and the attitudes of the individual Congressman's constituency. This policy agreement was then interpreted through several causal paths and the Congressman's perception of his constituency's attitudes was found to be the main path by which the local district ultimately influenced Congressional outputs.The main body of the report dealt with the broad civil rights issue dimension, and, by specifying the perceptual path by which constituency influence is brought to bear, documented the effect of political issues despite the generally low level of political information held at the mass level. Thus, the Congressmen, through their broad cognitive evaluations, were aware of how far they could proceed in determining their civil rights roll call votes on the basis of their own attitudes before risking the displeasure of their constituents.Beyond such major substantive contributions the representation study introduced to political science a variance-apportioning technique similar to that developed by Sewall Wright, in 1921. Through this variance-apportioning technique, the importance of the perceptual link was isolated and evaluated. This study, then, symbolizes the growing recognition in political science of the importance of more sophisticated methodological tools in the process of theory building.

On Dimensionalizing Roll Call Votes in the U.S. Congress

1991 ◽  
Vol 85 (3) ◽  
pp. 955-976 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith T. Poole ◽  
Howard Rosenthal ◽  
Kenneth Koford
Keyword(s):  
Research Note ◽  
The Other ◽  
Scale Analysis ◽  
Roll Call ◽  
Roll Call Voting ◽  
Congressional Voting ◽  
Single Dimension ◽  
The U.S

Two related issues have developed in the scale analysis of voting in the U. S. Congress. One is methodological; it concerns the appropriate dimensionalizing model. The other is more substantive, entailing interpretation of the extent to which voting dimensions carry an ideological component. Kenneth Koford contributed to consideration of these issues in his research note, “Dimensions in Congressional Voting,” in the September 1989 issue of this Review. In this controversy, his claims are challenged vigorously by Keith T. Poole and Howard Rosenthal. In turn, Koford defends his argument that “much roll call voting in Congress does not fit a single dimension.”

Statistical Models of Senate Roll Call Voting

1971 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 451-470 ◽  
Author(s):  
John E. Jackson
Keyword(s):  
Linear Regression Analysis ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Decision Processes ◽  
Party Leader ◽  
Legislative Process ◽  
Roll Call ◽  
Individual Decision ◽  
Quantitative Estimates ◽  
Guttman Scaling ◽  
Voting Models

This paper uses statistical analysis to consider what factors influence the way senators vote and how important these influences are. The answers are specific statements about individual senators' decision processes, and quantitative estimates of the weights applied to the different variables in these models. The form of the voting models and the variables in them were developed from hypotheses about individual decision-making and descriptions of the legislative process. Examples of the variables are the preferences of the senator's constituency, the opinions of his party leader, and the views of the President. Quantitative measures of the variables were obtained from state demographic characteristics and by Guttman-scaling the votes on passage of the amendments to specific bills considered in 1961 and 1962. Linear regression analysis of these Guttman scales was then used to test the hypotheses and estimate the coefficients in each senator's voting model. After the results from these analyses are discussed, the explanatory power of these models on individual bills is evaluated by comparing the vote they estimate with those predicted using two alternative models.

Latent Class Models for the Analysis of Behavioral Hierarchies

1987 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 174-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence F. Feick
Keyword(s):  
Item Response ◽  
Latent Class ◽  
Latent Class Models ◽  
Scale Model ◽  
Guttman Scale ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Consumer Complaint ◽  
Item Responses ◽  
Class Models

The author develops and describes latent class models useful for the analysis of behavioral hierarchies. The latent class models investigated are generalizations of the Guttman scale model and consider probabilistic relationships of item response to scale type and multiple hierarchical orderings of item responses. In addition, the author develops models for hierarchies that are present at the level of sets of items rather than at the level of individual items. He calls them “characteristics models” and examines their relationship to models for hierarchies of items. The models are illustrated on consumer complaint data gathered from a cross-sectional survey.

scholarly journals Burning the Midnight Oil: Clandestine Behavior, Hard Work, or Strategic Rush in Congressional Voting?

2009 ◽  
Vol 30 ◽  
pp. 229-250
Author(s):  
Phillip J. Ardoin
Keyword(s):  
Working Hours ◽  
Hard Work ◽  
Majority Voting ◽  
Roll Call ◽  
Congressional Voting ◽  
Late Night ◽  
Long Day ◽  
The Hill

While the vast of majority voting in Congress occurs during regular working hours, two percent of the recorded votes and eleven percent of Key Votes each session over the last 15 years have occurred late into the evening. The purpose of this research is to examine this unique set of votes that members of Congress cast while burning the midnight oil. Although these late night votes represent only a small percentage of roll-call votes, they are clearly important to members of Congress, or at least their leaders, who are extremely busy. Roll-call votes scheduled late in the evening undoubtedly interfere with members’ regular schedules, and no member wants to spend their night on the hill after a long day of Washington work. The results of our analyses indicate the majority of late night voting can be explained by the strategic rush hypothesis which suggests members burn the midnight oil prior to long recesses and also later in the week in order to return to their constituents. We also find late night voting may be the result of an over burdened legislature. Finally, our results confirm the growing power of Congressional leaders, particularly in the House, to utilize and even abuse the legislative schedule to meet their policy and reelection goals.

scholarly journals HBIM LEVEL OF DETAIL-GEOMETRY-ACCURACY AND SURVEY ANALYSIS FOR ARCHITECTURAL PRESERVATION

2019 ◽  
Vol XLII-2/W11 ◽  
pp. 293-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Brumana ◽  
F. Banfi ◽  
L. Cantini ◽  
M. Previtali ◽  
S. Della Torre
Keyword(s):  
Point Clouds ◽  
Scale Model ◽  
Survey Analysis ◽  
Element Analysis ◽  
Survey Techniques ◽  
The Past ◽  
Resolution Model ◽  
Urban Level ◽  
Do It Yourself ◽  
Architectural Preservation

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> The development of advanced survey techniques in the last years is offering a wide set of tools for implementing the building analysis. In the preservation field, the use of 3D interactive models is a prerogative of few and rare excellent cases and the information contained in high-resolution virtual representation are only partially developed. In the past centuries, the representation was centred on the theoretical roles of the descriptive geometry devoted to the representation of the architectural elements complexity in the space to manage the construction site process. It has been progressively lost the past skill to managing 3D objects in the space. Being HBIM based on 3D solids representation, the theme of the 3D model comes back to the foreground. The complexity of the architectural heritage and its components is evidencing a gap of best practices, protocols and specification in the HBIM-modeling. Do-It-Yourself modeling process has been characterised by the first phase of HBIM generation in the last years. Modeling phase within HBIM is left to the single responsibility, with lack of specification on the accuracy and level of geometry.</p><p>This paper presents a first tentative to summarize the relationship among the surveying accuracy, the Level of Geometry and the Level of Accuracy (LOA) of each BIM object, starting from a series of experiences, in which advanced survey techniques were applied to condition assessment required by architectural preservation HBIM approach. The objectives of the surveying and HBIM can change for different aspects: but in the preservation context the specificity of each single objects and their complexity need to be taken into account. As in the surveying, the choice of a scale implies a range of accuracy and tolerance in the data acquisition and processing, in HBIM modelling the choice of the Grade of Accuracy drives within the Level of Geometry the scale model that is expected to be performed and required by the different actors involved by the different phases (i.e. restoration, Energy Efficiency, Finite Element Analysis, CoSiM). On the base of different experiences occurred in the last years, the specifications conventionally adopted for the surveying have been here proposed and extended to the HBIM domain, particularly in the modelling of objects, in order to classify different accuracies. A transparent choice of accuracy allows to define the LOG and to support the adoption of the proper Grade of Generation among the different options (GOG1-10) in function of the point clouds geometry and of the scales chosen by the different actors. The architectural scale together with the urban scale (Heritage Urban Level) is considered as well to keep advantage of a multi-resolution model, diversified in function of the objectives, thus of Level of accuracy (and Level of Information) and Level of Geometry.</p>

Effects of Body Size and Slope on Sprint Speed of a Lizard (Stellio (Agama) Stellio)

1982 ◽  
Vol 97 (1) ◽  
pp. 401-409 ◽  
Author(s):  
RAYMOND B. HUEY ◽  
PAUL E. HERTZ
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Static Stress ◽  
Maximum Speed ◽  
Sprint Speed ◽  
Scaling Model ◽  
Geometric Similarity ◽  
Agamid Lizard ◽  
Scaling Models ◽  
Steep Slopes

1. The agamid lizard Stellio stellio L. accelerates quickly and reaches maximum speed over short distances. 2. Maximum speed on the level is proportional to body mass to the ⅓ power. This relation differs from predictions based on an interspecific scaling model of “geometric” similarity (M0) and is intermediate between predictions based on interspecific scaling models of “elastic” similarity (M¼) and of “static stress” similarity (M⅖). 3. Maximum speed was also measured on slopes ranging from −15° to + 60°. The effect of slope on speed varies with body mass. The maximum speed of large lizards decreases on steep slopes, but that of small lizards is remarkably independent of slope.

Einige Anwendungsmöglichkeiten der Entwicklungsskalierung von Leik und Matthews / Some Possible Applications of Leik’s and Matthews’ Developmental Scale

1973 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Herbert Bergmann
Keyword(s):  
Scale Model ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Multiple Responses ◽  
Scaling Model ◽  
Scaling Procedure ◽  
Scale Scores ◽  
Developmental Scale ◽  
Technical Innovations ◽  
Original Scale ◽  
Set Up

AbstractThe paper tries to broaden the scope of the scaling approach designed by LEIK and MATTHEWS and presents some of its possible uses. After a short terminological introduction and a brief review of the scaling model the following problems are descussed in some detail:- the set-up of auxiliary theories in the sense of BLALOCK, which can be used to show what kind of conditions lead to acceptable scale patterns;- the use of the scale in analysing multiple responses to open-ended questions, and in analysing certain instances of role-behaviour and of technical innovations;- the possibilities offered by a two-dimensional variant of the original scale model;- the construction of scale-scores either as ordinal variables or as nominal ones (construction of types) on the basis of the scaling procedure.The different problems are illustrated by examples.

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