Spatial Allocation of Marketing Resources in a Political Campaign

Abstract

Virtually any scholar may profit from an understanding of spatial concepts as they relate to his field. As an undergraduate economics major, I was always intrigued by the effect of place upon economic theories. As a Certified Public Accountant, I have had opportunities to witness the importance of good location to a business. As a private citizen active in politics, again my interest turned to the geographic aspects of elections. This fascination with the spatial aspects of other fields is evident in this thesis which examines the geography of marketing in a political campaign. Much has been written about political campaign strategy since World War II, often in the form of "confidential" or "restricted" manuscripts. The fact that so little space in these writings has been devoted to the spatial distinctions in the effectiveness of various campaign techniques has been puzzling to me. Accordingly, when the opportunity arose to explore this topic for my thesis, I was anxious to investigate.