Briar Cliff University Media Announcement

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – David Wiltse, Ph.D., assistant professor of political science at Briar Cliff University, coauthored with Raymad J. La Raja of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, recently had an article published in the American Politics Research, a fully indexed and peer reviewed journal published by the University of Illinois.

The article is titled “Don’t Blame Donors for Ideological Polarization of Political Parties: Ideological Change and Stability Among Political Contributors, 1972-2008.”

"In recent years, political parties and candidates have become increasingly ideological,” said Dr. Wiltse. “Despite this clear trend of polarization, scholars don't fully understand why. One suspected source has been that political contributors have been pushing candidates and parties towards more extreme positions,” he explains. “Our research casts serious doubt on this assumption that most people have held. Utilizing survey research from 1972-2008, we conclude that donors are not responsible for polarization, and that they actually may be a moderating force in politics today."

Briar Cliff University is a Catholic institution with an enrollment of more than 1,150 students from 32 states and 11 countries. Students are educated in the Franciscan tradition of excellence in the liberal arts and career preparation in an environment of care, compassion and service. For more information, please visit briarcliff.edu.