Event Title
Poster: The Interest of Defense: Individual and Contextual Influences on Defense Spending Preferences
Location
Moakley Atrium
Start Time
12-5-2016 4:00 PM
End Time
12-5-2016 5:00 PM
Description
How do both personal and contextual connections to the military shape Americans’ preferences on defense spending? As defense spending comes under scrutiny, increased attention turns towards the American electorate and what policies voters (and their representatives) are likely to support, based on their economic interests. Using the 2014 Cooperative Congressional Election Study and data on military installations in Congressional districts, I analyze the extent to which both personal connections to the military (through service) and contextual connections to the military (through the presence of installations in districts) affect individuals’ preferences concerning American defense spending. I find that, while military service does have modest effects on policy preferences, the contextual effect of a military installation's presence is not sufficient to explain individual preferences on American defense spending.
Poster: The Interest of Defense: Individual and Contextual Influences on Defense Spending Preferences
Moakley Atrium
How do both personal and contextual connections to the military shape Americans’ preferences on defense spending? As defense spending comes under scrutiny, increased attention turns towards the American electorate and what policies voters (and their representatives) are likely to support, based on their economic interests. Using the 2014 Cooperative Congressional Election Study and data on military installations in Congressional districts, I analyze the extent to which both personal connections to the military (through service) and contextual connections to the military (through the presence of installations in districts) affect individuals’ preferences concerning American defense spending. I find that, while military service does have modest effects on policy preferences, the contextual effect of a military installation's presence is not sufficient to explain individual preferences on American defense spending.