Professor: Chris Warshaw
Department: Political Science
Title: The Ideological Positions of Democratic and Republican State Party
Platforms in the United States
Description: In this project, I am working with a team of researchers to code
the ideological positions of Democratic and Republican state parties in all
fifty states over the past 50 years using 1,800 individual party platforms
from 1960-2016. These platforms include the state parties’ positions on
dozens of policy issues, including gay rights, abortion, climate change, gun
controls, and many more. This project will shed new light on the historical
development of party positions. It will also speak to debates about
polarization and representation (i.e., the links between public opinion and
political parties).
Duties: The research assistant(s) will read Democratic and Republican state
party platforms to help me code the issue positions of Democratic and
Republican state parties in the United States over the past 50 years. They
will code each state party’s position on issues like gun control, abortion,
climate change, taxes, women’s rights, and many more. This project will give
research assistant(s) the opportunity to learn more about the development of
the American party system. It also give them the opportunity to learn more
about dozens of policy issues, and the positions of political parties on
these issues.
Time commitment: 7-9 hours per week (average)
Credit hour option*: 3
Number of openings: 4
Submit Cover Letter/Resume to: warshaw@gwu.edu
*If credit is sought, all registration deadlines and requirements must be
met. Students selected to be research assistants should contact Brianna
Crayton (bcrayton@gwu.edu) whether they intend to pursue credit or not.
