The V-22: a turning point in Congressional behavior?
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Authors
Szczublewski, Kenneth J.
Subjects
Parochialism
Military-Industrial Complex
Personal preference
Logit analysis
Bivariate
Multivariate
Military-Industrial Complex
Personal preference
Logit analysis
Bivariate
Multivariate
Advisors
Stockton, Paul N.
Garrett, Stephen Lurie
Date of Issue
1992-12
Date
December 1992
Publisher
Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School
Language
en_US
Abstract
Why do legislators vote for some defense programs but against others? This issue is especially important now that Congress faces the need to cut defense programs while preserving U.S. security. The history of the V-22 offers a prime case study for examining congressional voting behavior for the post-Cold War era. This thesis reviews the literature on three possible explanations for congressional voting behavior: parochialism (the desire to benefit constituents), the Military-Industrial Complex or MIC (where votes are "bought" by industry campaigns contributions), and the personal preferences of individual members. The thesis uses logit equation to test and assess the validity of these hypothesis in the case of the V-22. No reliable connection was found between personal preference and voting on the V-22. Liberal Democrats that were assumed to be "dovish" on defense spending were just as likely as "hawkish" conservative Republicans to support this program. Nor was any evidence found to support the MIC hypothesis that voting is driven by PAC dollars. The likelihood of a representative supporting the V-22 actually decreased as PAC contributions increased. The parochial hypothesis was supported in the House but not in the Senate. Further research is required to find alternative explanations for defense voting behavior in the post-Cold War era.
Type
Thesis
Description
Series/Report No
Department
Department of National Security Affairs
Organization
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Identifiers
NPS Report Number
Sponsors
Funder
Format
207, [65] p.
Citation
Distribution Statement
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.