Studying Contextual Effects on Political Behavior

The study of contextual effects on political behavior has expanded dramatically in the last two decades. In this article we review the recent progress of the field in an attempt to develop a coherent framework for categorizing and analyzing contextual effects. We note that some types of effects have been understudied and that the processes by which context affects individuals have not received sufficient attention. Taking an information approach, we argue that context works through individual perceptions of contextual phenomena and that many sources of and reactions to information condition contextual effects. Finally, we suggest profitable future research efforts based on previous research and our preferred approach to the field.