Zachary Scott

Quantitative Social Scientist

Media Primaries

How do the mass media cover presidential primary campaigns and what are the implications for candidates, parties, and voters?

• On the quantity of coverage

  • “Replicating the Discovery-Scrutiny-Decline Model…” (Journal of Elections, Public Opinion & Parties)

• On candidate-media agenda transmission

  • “Courting Coverage” (Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly)

  • “Lost in the Crowd” (American Politics Research)

• In the media

  • “The mass media will play an important role in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, even if it doesn’t mean to” (LSE USAPP Blog)

  • “Do the media drive presidential primaries?” (Science of Politics Podcast)

Symbolic Elite Rhetoric

What incentives and constraints are at work in candidates’ use of symbolic rhetorical appeals?

• On emotional rhetorical appeals

  • “Tell Us How You Feel” (with Jared McDonald, American Politics Research)

  • “Read the Room” (The Year in C-SPAN Research)

  • “Mood Swings” (with Jared McDonald, Working Paper, contact for copy)

• On trait appeals

  • “Strong Men, Compassionate Women?” (with Jared McDonald, The Year in C-SPAN Research)

• In the media

  • “Who candidates are influences the emotional appeals they can make in their campaigns” (with Jared McDonald, LSE USAPP Blog)

party responsiveness

How are the American political parties responding to intra-party factions?

• On populist insurgencies

  • “Inviting the Populists to the Party” (Political Research Quarterly)

• On the role of partisan media

  • “Rise of the ‘Democrat Party’” (with David Karol, Political Research Quarterly)

  • “Globaloney” (with Andrew Lugg, Political Research Quarterly, Forthcoming)

• On processing electoral defeat

  • “We Love Him, We Love Him Not” (Working Paper, contact for copy)

Cognitive Biases in Public Policy Preferences

How do cognitive biases affect perceptions and preferences in policy preferences?

• On cost presentation:

  • “Voter Support for Bond Referenda” (with Shanna Pearson-Merkowitz and Corey Long, Public Budgeting & Finance)

• On status quo bias:

  • “Status Quo Bias in Policy Diffusion Preferences” (with Shanna Pearson-Merkowitz and Corey Long, Working Paper, contact for copy)

  • “Status Quo Bias and Preferences on Land Reform Policy” (with Shanna Pearson-Merkowitz and Corey Long, Working Paper, contact for copy)