Lower-Class Mobilization and Policy Linkage in the U.S. States

Abstract

Theory: Political participation by lower class voters should create pressures for government to respond with supportive policies. Hypotheses: Lower class voting is associated with more generous state welfare policies. Political forces and institutions structure this relationship. Methods: A pooled time series analysis for the 50 U.S. states from 1978 to 1990. Results: We demonstrate an enduring relationship between the degree of mobilization of lower-class voters and the generosity of welfare benefits provided by state governments. This relationship can be vitiated by remarkable political and economic events such as the new federalism and the economic recession in the early 1980s. Finally, the importance of lower-class mobilization for redistributive policy is enhanced by the liberalism and competitiveness of state Democratic parties.