Do political campaign events determine election winners? For too long, political scientists argued that issues, not campaigns, determined whether politicians won or lost. Journalists and party activists, on the other hand, devoted their energy to refining candidates' public images, through events, advertisements and media appearances. ""Capturing Campaign Effects"" brings together an outstanding list of experts in the emerging field of campaign effects to study the influence of campaigns on our political culture. The result is a broad exploration of various campaign factors - debates, news coverage, advertising, and polls - and their effects - priming, learning, and persuasion; as well as an impressive survey of techniques for the collection and analysis of campaign data. ""Capturing Campaign Effects"" examines different kinds of campaigns in the US and abroad, and presents strong evidence for significant campaign effects. ""Capturing Campaign Effects"" seeks to bring the study of campaigns into the mainstream. The contributors include many of the world's leading students of public opinion and elections. For those interested in studying elections, this book provides the broadest and most in-depth compendium of what we know and how we can learn more about the impacts of political campaigns. The volume is a must-read for graduate students and scholars in the field, and an appealing introduction for upper-level undergraduates and interested generalists.
