A Dynamic Network Study on Consolidated State Governance and Bipartisan Voting

• In Event: Governance, Markets, and Teachers Unions: Political (Dis)Engagement in Education

Abstract

In 2011, Oregon was one of eight states focused on consolidating their education governance model. This study uses legislator votes to investigate the relationship between consolidated governance and policy formulation. This study employs social network analysis to investigate how consolidated authority relates to bipartisanship in education governance. The results highlight evidence of dense legislator networks, with a high likelihood of forming ties. In Oregon, centralized education governance was associated with increased cohesion compared to other years included in the study. This shift may have prompted legislator collaboration resulting in mutuality and increasing the likelihood for underrepresented groups of legislators to vote commonly, bipartisanship. This study found that centralized governing bodies reinforced by legislation provided collaborative initiatives for the legislators.

Author

• Christine Pitts, Portland Public Schools