Research

Under Review

Zarate, M., & Essig J. Did I Say That? How Political Inconsistency Shapes Perceptions of Pandering. (PDF available upon request) 

Essig, J. The Nature of Framing Effects: Connecting Theory and Evidence. (PDF)

Molino, T., & Essig, J. The Influence of Congress on Administrative Policymaking , (PDF)

Working Papers 

Essig, J. Updating without Accountability: Information, Partisanship, and the Limits of Economic Voting. (Job Market Paper, PDF) 

Essig, J. There's The Party: Preferences & Party Influence in The U.S House of Representatives. (PDF)

Essig, J., McLaughlin, P.T., & Xu, P. The “Trump Effect” and Partisan Polarization in American Trade Attitudes. (PDF)

Essig, J., & Rothenberg, L. How Income Inequality Shapes Americans’ Willingness to Pay for Climate Change Mitigation. (PDF)

Peer-Reviewed Publications

Essig, J., Xu, P., Garand, J. C., & Keser, C. (2021). The “Trump” effect: political elite and support for free trade in America. American Politics Research, 49(3), 328-342.

Keser, C., Garand, J. C., Xu, P., & Essig, J. (2023). Partisanship, Trump favorability, and changes in support for trade. Presidential Studies Quarterly, 54(1), 46-64.

Under Contract

Xu, P. & Essig, J. From Free Trade to America First: How Trump’s Rhetoric and Policies Reshaped American Views on Trade. Under Contract with Cambridge Elements in Experimental Political Science.

Abstract: Donald Trump’s presidency marked a watershed moment in American trade politics. For decades, political elites in the US have generally aligned in favor of free trade and globalization. Donald Trump disrupted this general consensus, launching a trade war and advancing a protectionist message that fundamentally reshaped partisan dynamics and public attitudes toward global economic integration. This book project investigates how Trump’s anti-trade rhetoric and policy stance influenced American public opinion on free trade and globalization.  More specifically, we seek to answer a set of interrelated questions: (1) To what extent did Trump’s rhetoric influence public opinion on trade? (2) How do individuals weigh economic self-interest against elite messaging when forming or updating their trade opinions? (3) How do the effects of Trump’s trade rhetoric on trade opinion differ between Republicans and Democrats, and to what extent does Trump influence trade attitudes in ways that are distinct from partisan cues? 

Manuscripts in Preparation

(with Ping Xu) When Old Questions Fail: Measuring Free Trade Attitudes in the Trump Era