Searching for the Center: an investigation into the political center in American politics

Abstract

This dissertation explores the contemporary meanings of the political center within the American political discourse, as used in academic research, through the various accounts of selfdescribed advocates for the political center, according to public opinion, and through selfidentification in social surveys. It contains three chapters in addition to an introduction and conclusion. One chapter creates a typology of the different meanings of the political center. The typology groups meanings into categories of the depoliticized center, the citizen center, the political actor center, and the elite consensus center. The next chapter explores in detail the meanings of the center when it is determined by public opinion: when the median or net support represent the center, or when quantitative ideological measures are used to determine the center. Finally, the last chapter uses rare survey data that asks respondents whether they identify with the political center. The frequency of identification with, and the demographic and political characteristics associated with, the terms "centrist" and "moderate" are investigated. I conclude with a proposed theoretical model of the political center and suggestions for additional research on the topic.