선거주기에 대한 이론적 고찰: 미국 사례를 중심으로

초록

This paper provides a selective examination of scholarly studies of the American electoral cycle in order to enhance understanding the political implications of constitutional revision in South Korea that would affect the current electoral cycle. It first sketches out the historical and legal ground of the American electoral cycle and reviews the literature based on the cycle length, one focusing on the 30-year cyclical realignment after critical elections and the other on the “surge-and-decline” of the president’s party in congressional elections. The paper observes that the former has explained realignment process as a way to achieve a new party system equilibrium. It also finds an explanation of midterm loss as ideological balancing by voters most convincing among the latter. It ends with a brief discussion of the political implications of adjusting electoral cycle for Korean politics.