Popkin’s theory of the “reasoning voter.”

Ple ase u se th is h andout t o u se a s a r e fe re n ce w hile y o u w rit e y o ur e ssa y. Thesis = C SC ​(s e e p g. 2 5-2 9 a nd 3 4-3 9) Conte xt S ub je ct C la im Conte xt: fr a m e o f r e fe re nce Subje ct: th e c e ntr a l to pic Cla im : a p oin t o f v ie w o r a s p ecif ic in te rp re ta tio n o f th e s u bje ct. Essen tia ls f o r E ffe ctiv e C la im s 1. M ust b e o bje ctiv e ly s u p porte d 2. S hould b e d ebata ble 3. S hould r e ve al a p erc e ptiv e p oin t Sam ple In tr o P ara g ra p h : A w ell- fu nctio nin g d em ocra cy r e qu ir e s le gis la to rs to r e p re se nt th e w ill o f th eir c o nstit u ents . Desp it e th is fa ct, p olit ic a l s cie n tis ts s till h ave o nly a lim it e d u nders ta ndin g o f th e in flu ence o f a co nstit u ency o n e le cte d r e pre se n ta tiv e s in C ongre ss ( C lin to n 2 006). M ore o ve r, w e k n ow e ve n le ss a bout th e e xte nt o f c o n stit u ency in flu ence a t o th er le ve ls o f g ove rn m en t in th e U nit e d Sta te s. P re vio us e m pir ic a l w ork h a s b een h in dere d b y th e fa ct th at th e s a m ple s iz e in n atio nal su rv e ys is g enera lly to o s m all t o m ake in fe re n ce s a bout th e p re fe re n ce s o f s m all g eogra phic unit s . A lt h ough e stim atin g th e p o lic y p re fe re n ce s o f s m all g eogra p hic u nit s p ose s a c h alle nge fo r r e se arc h ers , th e m eth od o f T au sa novit c h a nd W ars h a w ( 2 0 13) o ffe rs th e m ost p ro m is in g appro ach b eca use th eir s u rv e y m odel a llo w s r e se arc h e rs to p ool o th er, la rg e r d ata se ts , a llo w in g fo r a m uch m ore r e pre se nta tiv e v ie w o f p olic y p re fe re n ce s n atio n-w id e. ● TA XES ​ is a fo rm ula fo r b u ild in g th e s u pp ortin g p ara g ra p hs in a th esis -d riv e n e ssa y. W hen begin nin g a p ara gra ph, s p en d tim e w rit in g a c le ar ​to p ic s en te n ce ​ t h a t o ve r-a rc h es th e para gra ph o r s e ctio n a s a w hole . It s h o uld s ta te th e o ne p oin t th e p ara gra ph o r s e ctio n w ill make , a p oin t th at h elp s b u ild th e c h a in o f r e a so nin g in s u pport o f y o ur th esis s ta te m ent. Y our th esis s ta te m ent’s b urd ens o f p ro of, o r p oin ts n ece ssa ry to p ro ve y o ur th esis , c a n o fte n b e re phra se d to b eco m e to pic s e n te nce s. Follo w a to pic s e nte nce w it h s tr o ng ​asse rtio n s ta te m en ts ​ t h a t e xp re ss y o u r id e as a bou t th e ove ra rc h in g to pic s e nte nce . S om etim es y o ur to pic s e nte nce c a n s e rv e d ouble d uty a s a n asse rtio n s e nte nce , e sp ecia lly in s h o rte r e ssa ys w here it p ays to b e e co nom ic a l. R em em ber, how eve r, th at ju st b eca use y o u a sse rt t h a t s o m eth in g is s o d oesn ’t m ean y o ur r e aders w ill b e co nvin ce d. M ere a sse rtio n d o esn ’t g o fa r e nough in a n a rg u m en t p aper to p ers u ade r e aders th at y o ur th esis s ta te m ent is v a li d a nd c o m pe llin g. Gro und y o ur id eas in s u p portin g ​ex am ple s ​, a nd r e m em be r to e xp la in c a re fu lly h o w t h e exa m ple s d em onstr a te th e p oin t y o u w ant to m ake . E xa m ple s, o r e vid ence th at b acks u p y o ur asse rtio n s ta te m ents , to pic id eas, a nd u lt im ate ly th e th esis c la im , c a n ta ke a n um ber o f fo rm s, dependin g o n y o ur w rit in g c o nte xt a nd p urp o se . F or in sta nce , y o u m ay o ffe r a q uote fr o m th e te xt y o u a re in te rp re tin g, a s ta tis tic a l o r fa ctu al d eta il fr o m th e r e se arc h y o u h ave d one, o r a sta te m ent fr o m a n e xp ert in a r e le va nt f ie ld . Analy ze y o ur e xa m ple (s ), p ro vid in g a n ​ex p la n atio n ​ o f h ow it /th ey s u pp ort y o ur a sse rtio ns. T his is th e p art o f y o ur p ara gra ph th at e na ble s y o u to a vo id m ere s u m m ary . T here fo re , y o ur v o ic e sh ould b e a t it s v e ry s tr o ng est h ere ; if y o u r e xp la natio n is w eak o r u ncle ar, y o ur r e ader m ay have tr o uble d is tin guis h in g y o ur v o ic e fr o m th at o f y o ur s o urc e (s ). T ake a t le ast 1 -3 s e nte nce s to fle sh o ut y o ur e xp la natio n. Fin ally , b e s u re to c lo se th e p ara gra ph o r c lu ste r o f p ara g ra p hs o n a to pic w it h a c a re fu l a nd cle ar c la rif ic a tio n o f it s ​sig nif ic an ce ​ t o th e p a per’s th esis s ta te m ent. T his is a n im po rta nt, a nd ofte n fo rg otte n, p art o f T A XES. It c a n b e a s s h ort a s a s in gle s e nte nce , b ut w it h out it , th e para gra ph h angs in lim bo. T ell th e r e aders a s c le arly a s y o u c a n h ow th e p oin t y o u h ave ju st made fu rth ers th e a rg um ent o f y o u r p ap er. O fte n, y o u c a n r e sta te th e b urd e n o f p ro of th at th is para gra ph o r g ro up o f p ara gra phs m ake s.