Print this page
Monday, 04 January 2021 11:59

RSPP Call for Papers | Special Issue on Spatial Interpretations of Election Results in North America

Spatial Interpretations of Election Results in North America

Explaining spatial patterns of voting behavior is a very recent and rapidly growing field of research in regional science. Since the rise of more right-wing and/or protest voting, it has become apparent that these votes are not randomly spread over space. One example is the changing spatial patterns of election outcomes in the US presidential election in the last decade with states that used to be strongholds for either party flipping sides. Not only does recent patterns suggest an urban-rural divide, but they also reflect socioeconomic and demographic changes across and within US regions and cities due to intra-metropolitan, national and international migration. These voting patterns are spatially associated with patterns of educational attainment, income, race, ethnicity, and the industrial makeup of places (Frey 2020).

In this special issue, the focus is on underlying factors of regional voting patterns. The territory contains many variables that can be associated with voters' political orientation and general ideology. Can we link voting patterns to discontent, and if so, what is causing this feeling of discontent? How do voting patterns on various topics differ between and within regions, between urban and rural regions, and between regions that grow or are in decline? Have local or regional crises (such as natural disasters, water contamination, pandemic outbreak, and how they were handled by the local/regional elected officials) affected election outcomes? What about space-time patterns? Do we see a relationship between areas that are hit more by COVID19 and their (change in) voting behavior? We in particular welcome submissions that focus on causality.

Planning

  • Expression of interest until February 15th 2021
  • Full paper submission June 15th 2021
  • Reviews July-August 2021
  • Final paper submission November 2021

Editors

Dr. Isabelle Nilsson (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), University of North Carolina – Charlotte, Eleni Bardaka (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), North Carolina State University, Prof. Eveline van Leeuwen (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) & Dr. Solmaria Halleck-Vega (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), Urban Economics group, Wageningen University.

References

Frey, W. (2020). Exit polls show both familiar and new voting blocs sealed Biden’s win. Brookings Institute, November 12, https://www.brookings.edu/research/2020-exit-polls-show-a-scrambling-of-democrats-and-republicans-traditional-bases/

Read 2570 times Last modified on Monday, 04 January 2021 13:01