Coordination and cognition in parties

The three papers that comprise this dissertation all start with the premise that parties and other social groups have an incentive to coordinate their activities. Each paper then explores how this strategic incentive shapes beliefs of individuals within these parties and other organizations (Paper 1 and 2); or, how coordination within legislatures shapes the way voters come view parties and their candidates, and how this may in turn affect the cost that parties pay over time to coordinate their activities in Congress (Paper 3