A new feature: Blogging the Journals

I’m introducing a new feature this weekend I’m calling “Blogging the Journals”, in which I take one article from a major journal in my field (American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, Public Opinion Quarterly, Asia Survey, and The Journal of East Asian Studies) and dissect it- looking for references missed, theoretical considerations overlooked, methodological innovations, big time findings, and misarticulated results. Or perhaps to give the brilliant authors a big, wet, sloppy scholarly kiss for their groundbreaking contributions to the field. After the jump, I turn to the first article in APSR’s February edition, “Cycles in American National Electoral Politics, 1854–2006: Statistical Evidence and an Explanatory Model” by Merrill, Grofman, and Brunell.

I’ve got to admit upfront- I’m skeptical of the validity of Political Cycle studies, and even more skeptical of their utility. Full citation and close reading after the jump.