SIO318: Study Says the People Have 'Near-Zero' Influence on Policy. Does it Hold Up?
Serious Inquiries Only
Thomas Smith
4.6 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 21 January 2022
⏱️ 59 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
It's time to give another viral thingy the Dr. Lindsey Osterman treatment! A viral tweet summarizing the findings of a political science study alleges that the people have "near-zero" impact on public policy. What is this study, what did it find, and was it good science? Find out!
Links: Gilens & Page (2014) - Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens, Vox article on Gilens and Page and rebuttals, Bashir (2015) – Response to Gilens and Page, Enns (2015) - Response to Gilens and Page, Middle class income calculator (by region)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello and welcome to Series Inquiry's Only. This is episode 318, but for real this time. |
| 0:17.6 | How's it going, Lindsay? |
| 0:19.6 | Oh, spiffing. I'm spiffing. |
| 0:21.6 | Spiffing? |
| 0:22.6 | I haven't heard that one. |
| 0:23.6 | I've heard spiffy. |
| 0:25.6 | What spiffing? |
| 0:26.6 | Educating. |
| 0:27.6 | I think it's an English thing, I think. |
| 0:29.8 | It must be related to spiffy, right? |
| 0:31.8 | Maybe. I don't know the etymology of spiffy. |
| 0:33.8 | Maybe spiffy is not real and I've heard that wrong or something. |
| 0:37.4 | No, I think spiffy is a thing too. |
| 0:39.0 | While we're on the topic, I saw a meme that is completely unverified, but I have to share |
| 0:43.3 | with you. |
| 0:44.3 | Which is a linguistics thing. Did you see this with the Bugs Bunny? It was hilarious. |
| 0:48.6 | It was like the whole reason people think Nimrod is a synonym for an idiot is because Bugs |
| 0:55.8 | Bunny called... |
| 0:56.8 | Who's that hunter guy that's with the bald thing? |
| 0:59.6 | Yeah, Elmer Fud. |
| 1:00.6 | Yeah, Elmer Fud called him Nimrod, which is a biblical comparison to the great hunter. |
| 1:06.6 | It was a sarcasm thing like, oh, there's some Nimrod here. |
... |
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