Partisan Bridges to Bipartisanship: The Case of Contraceptive Coverage. Issue 3 (16th April 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Sanders, Bailey
• Is Part Of: Legislative studies quarterly. Volume 43:Issue 3(2018)
• Page Start: 521
• Page End: 546
• Publication Date: 2018-04-16
• Subjects: bipartisanship -- policymaking -- women's representation; Legislative bodies -- Periodicals; Parlement; Procédure législative; Système parlementaire; Étude comparée (Descripteur de forme); Périodique électronique (Descripteur de forme); Ressource Internet (Descripteur de forme); 328
• DOI: 10.1111/lsq.12205
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0362-9805

Abstract

Abstract : The negative consequences of polarization have been pointed to by scholars and politicians alike as evidence of a need for a renewal of bipartisanship. However, scholarship on bipartisanship remains limited. This article develops a theory of partisan bridging that predicts when and why certain legislators might be willing to cross the partisan aisle. I argue that personal preferences can lead some legislators to cross the aisle in search of consensus, in effect serving as "partisan bridges." I test my theory by examining the role of Republican women in the diffusion of contraceptive coverage at the state level. Through an individual‐level analysis of sponsorship and vote choice and an aggregate‐level analysis of policy diffusion, I find that moderate Republican women at times served as critical actors in the policy process.