Distributing Democratic Influence: External Efficacy and the Preferred Influence of Policy Winners and Losers

Abstract

Should those who would be disproportionately affected by a policy change have more influence on that reform than the average citizen? And does it matter whether the affected individuals stand to benefit or lose out from the proposed reform? Despite longstanding debates on proportionality, asymmetry, and affected interests in the democratic theory literature, we know little about public opinion on these questions. This study, therefore, uses an original survey of 3,200 U.S. respondents to explore these attitudes. To do so, it builds on related work highlighting the potential relevance of the type of affectedness as well as individual-level variation in political efficacy, examining (1) the relationship between the preferred influence of negatively versus positively affected citizens; and (2) the role of external efficacy in shaping these preferences. Results suggest that most respondents favor equal influence regardless of affectedness, but that greater external efficacy may increase the preferred influence of negatively and positively affected citizens.