2008 Conference Program - Midwest Political Science Association

Friday, April 4-4:45 pm
Disc.
Jowei Chen, Stanford University
jowei@stanford.edu
41-6 CONGRESSIONAL ELECTIONS
Room Salon 7 on the 3rd Floor, Fri at 4:45 pm
Chair Latrice M. Washington, Otterbein College
LWASHINGTON@OTTERBEIN.EDU
Paper Why Has the Personal Vote Declined for U.S. House Elections
This paper documents the decline in the personal vote for
House elections, and examines whether the decline results from
incumbents working less assiduously to establish a personal vote or
from a smaller role for partisanship in vote choice.
Jeffrey W. Koch, SUNY, Geneseo
koch@geneseo.edu
Paper Challenges to Congressional Incumbents: Predictions and
Strategies
This paper examines the factors that predict primary challenges
to congressional incumbents and then analyzes the newspaper
coverage of those races as an illustration of strategies used by
congressional challengers.
Nicholas L. Pyeatt, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
npyeatt@email.unc.edu
Paper Ideological Extremity and Candidate Valence: An Experimental
Approach
Using experimental methods, this paper addresses the possible
endogeneity between perceptions of ideology and non-policy traits.
The results have implications for both theories of vote choice and of
candidate valence and positioning in elections.
Elizabeth Nicole Simas, University of California, Davis
ensimas@ucdavis.edu
Paper The Effect of Congressional Approval on Seat Swing in the
House, 1974-2006
Using new data from 1974-2006, I find that congressional approval
significantly increases the number of House seats won by the
majority party, and is at least as powerful as presidential approval in
explaining House seat swing.
David R. Jones, Baruch College, CUNY
David_Jones@baruch.cuny.edu
Paper Candidates and Campaigns in Open Seats in the U.S. House of
Representatives from 1994-2006
This paper examines candidacies and campaigns for open seats in
the U.S. House of Representatives from 1994 through 2006. Who
has run, how competitive have these races been and to what extent
they involved strategic candidates
Barbara Burrell, Northern Illinois University
bburrell@niu.edu
Alexandre Da Silva, Northern Illinois University
adsilva@niu.edu
Disc. Jean-Francois Godbout, Simon Fraser University
godbout@sfu.ca
42-3 THE DYNAMICS OF AGENDA-SETTING
Room Salon 6 on the 3rd Floor, Fri at 4:45 pm
Chair Kirk A. Randazzo, University of Kentucky
Kirk.Randazzo@uky.edu
Paper An Inside Look at Forward-Looking Agenda Setting on the
United States Supreme Court
Using original data collected from the papers of former Justice
Harry A. Blackmun, we present an empirical analysis of the
conditions under which justices vote to grant or deny review by
predicting what the full Court would do.
Ryan J. Owens, Washington University in St. Louis
ryan.owens@wustl.edu
Ryan C. Black, Washington University, St. Louis
rcblack@wustl.edu
Paper
Paper
Paper
Paper
Disc.
Supreme Agenda Setting: Strategic Considerations During
Certiorari
Using evidence from Justices papers, strategic aspects of the
decision of Certiorari are examined. Those include the politics of
appointments, the constitutional role of the Court, and avoidance
and inclusion of certain issues.
Udi Sommer, University at Albany, SUNY
esommer@albany.edu
Deciding to Agree: Explaining Consensual Behavior on the
United States Supreme Court
In this paper, we examine how consensus occurs on the United
States Supreme Court and what factors affect the level of consensus
that is achieved on the Court.
Pamela C. Corley, Vanderbilt University
pamela.corley@vanderbilt.edu
Amy Steigerwalt, Georgia State University
polals@langate.gsu.edu
Artemus Ward, Northern Illinois University
aeward@niu.edu
Strategic Agenda Control on the U.S. Supreme Court
Understanding which factors influence the U.S. Supreme Court’s
decision to grant cert is vital to understanding the larger process of
judicial decision-making. I reexamine two standard agenda setting
models using updated data and measures.
Eve M. Ringsmuth, University of Minnesota
ringsmuth@umn.edu
A Unified Theory of Supreme Court Voting
For three terms of the Court (1968, 1982, 1990), we use data
on cert petitions for both granted and denied cases to assess the
prevalence of "sophisticated voting" and uncover strong evidence
that outcomes influence justices' votes on the agenda.
Gregory A. Caldeira, Ohio State University
caldeira.1@osu.edu
John R. Wright, Ohio State University
wright.569@osu.edu
J. Christopher Zorn, Pennsylvania State University
zornc@gwm.sc.edu
Kirk A. Randazzo, University of Kentucky
Kirk.Randazzo@uky.edu
42-11 PUBLIC OPINION AND THE COURTS
Room Salon 1 on the 3rd Floor, Fri at 4:45 pm
Chair Elliot E. Slotnick, Ohio State University
slotnick.1@osu.edu
Paper Drifting Away from Public Opinion: Seniority Effects at the
Supreme Court
Reviews the impact of long seniority on Supreme Court justice's
pattern of agreeing with American public opinion.
Thomas R. Marshall, University of Texas, Arlington
tmarshall@uta.edu
Paper “New-Style” Judicial Campaigns and the Legitimacy of State
High Courts
This is a study of campaign activity effects on public opinion, based
on a national sample.
James L. Gibson, Washington University, St. Louis
jgibson@wustl.edu
Paper The Impact of Public Opinion on the Supreme Court's Issue
Agenda
In this paper we examine the relationship between judicial activism
and public opinion over the course of the post-war period. Though
considered by some as anti-democratic, we explore how the issue
agenda of the Court responds to public sentiment.
Arthur Spirling, University of Rochester
spln@mail.rochester
Matthew Bartholomew Platt, University of Rochester
plat@mail.rochester.edu
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