Analyzing Public Opinion as an Input in the Systems Theory Framework by Examining the Democratic Responsiveness of the Pennsylvania Legislature in the 2023-2024 Legislative Session

Authors

Donovan M. Villegas, Gettysburg CollegeFollow

Class Year

2025

Document Type

Student Research Paper

Date of Creation

Spring 2025

Department 1

Public Policy

Abstract

I examine the 2023-2024 legislative session of the Pennsylvania General Assembly to determine the role public opinion plays in the content of legislation. I use a public policy systems and theories framework as my main theoretical model. Using quarterly polling that identifies the top issues for voters, I find that the Pennsylvania legislature responded to those top issues. This suggests that public opinion does play an influential role in legislative action. These results are consistent with what the systems and theories framework would predict.

Comments

Written for Public Policy 470: Individualized Study - Internship.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Villegas, Donovan M., "Analyzing Public Opinion as an Input in the Systems Theory Framework by Examining the Democratic Responsiveness of the Pennsylvania Legislature in the 2023-2024 Legislative Session" (2025). Student Publications. 1149.
https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/student_scholarship/1149