Formal Theory in Political Science

Ordeshook was one of the pioneers who introduced formal mathematical models into political science, and has been highly influential in the field.

Experimental and Empirical Research

Experimental political science employs controlled experiments to study political phenomena, test hypotheses, and understand causal relationships. Ordeshook’s contribution to experimental research is exemplified by his collaborative work with Richard McKelvey. McKelvey and Ordeshook were early developers of laboratory experiments that showed, among other findings, how people can use relatively simple pieces of information to make complex political decisions. Specifically, they examined when uninformed voters can use cues from polls and endorsements to cast the same votes they would have cast if they were more informed. One experiment focused on whether these cues could lead otherwise uninformed voters to have a thought like “if that many voters are voting for the [rightist candidate], he can’t be too liberal” and use that fact to figure out how they would vote if they knew more about the issues (McKelvey and Ordeshook 1985). Political economist Thomas Palfrey describes their main finding as follows:

“Perhaps the most striking experiment… only a few of the voters in the experiments knew where the candidates located... they proved that this information alone is sufficient to reveal enough to voters that even uninformed voters behave optimally – i.e., as if they were fully informed.”

McKelvey and Ordeshook’s experiments showed an unexpected range of conditions under which (a) uninformed voters vote competently and (b) election outcomes are identical to what they would have been if all voters were sufficiently informed. These findings prompted a reconsideration of how voters use information to make decisions.

Ordeshook's contributions extend beyond his influential theoretical and experimental work. He has also emphasized the importance of empirical testing and validation of formal theories through rigorous analysis of real world data and has made significant contributions to empirical research. For example, Ordeshook and Zeng (1997) tested hypotheses generated from rational voter models, in particular the expected utility models of voting (Downs 1957, Riker and Ordeshook 1968), in the context of three-candidate presidential elections. These models posit that turnout and candidate choice decisions are influenced by, among other factors, the voter's consideration of the potential benefit of the decision weighted by the probability that the benefit would be realized. Ordeshook and Zeng found empirical evidence that expected utility calculations add little to our understanding of the decision to vote, but such strategic considerations significantly influence candidate choice decisions, especially among voters who favor a minor party candidate.

Constitutional Design and Comparative Politics

Ordeshook (1992) re-examined the importance of constitutional devices such as the separation of powers and scheduled elections, and the role of federalism for the stability of the American political system. Chen and Ordeshook (1994) studied the role of constitutional secessions clauses. In the 1990s and early 2000s, Ordeshook collaborated with his students and social scientists from Russia and Ukraine, and helped each of these countries design their new constitution. Their work studied the design of a federalist system (Filippov, Ordeshook and Shvetsova, 2004), and the forensics of election fraud in Russia and Ukraine (Myagkov and Ordeshook, 2009).

In 1996-1998 Ordeshook was invited to teach Political Science and Game Theory at The International Summer School in Political Science and International Relations, funded by the Stefan Batory Foundation. At the time the Summer School was focused on sponsoring the students from the former Soviet Union and other Soviet bloc countries so that they would engage in intensive study of the subjects previously not available under Soviet regime thus allowing the new generation of potential scholars to be exposed to the Western thought and democracy.

After engaging in the study of budding Russian federalism (with Olga Shvetsova, Misha Myagkov, and Mikhail G. Filippov) and sharing his expertise on the subject with Russian lawmakers, Peter Ordeshook turned to studying another post-Soviet state, namely Ukraine.  His work and collaboration with prominent Ukrainian Sociologist, Valeriy Khmelko and Melvin J. Hinich resulted in publications in Post-Soviet Affairs (1999, 2002), where they analyze the results of Ukraine's 1998 parliamentary and 1999 presidential elections using spatial model of voting, specifically concentrating on East/West divide of Ukraine.