2008 Conference Program - Midwest Political Science Association

Saturday, April 5-10:00 am
Paper
Disc.
The “Public Affairs” Structure and Graduate Teaching
Examination of curriculum in a public affairs structure.
Robyn Diehl Lacks, Virginia Commonwealth University
rdlacks@vcu.edu
Walter Thomas Casey, University of Texas, Dallas
caesaigh@caesaigh.org
57-301 POSTER SESSION: UNDERGRADUATES I
Room Grand on the 4th Floor, Sat at 10:00 am
Poster 1 If it Starts in Barrios, Can it End with Ballots
The Latino population in the Midwest showed its political potential
in spring 2006 with protests responding to HR 4437. I argue that
immigrants' rights organizations increasingly spur the transition
from political interest to voting among Latino/as.
Kevin L. Terry, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
k.lee.terry@gmail.com
Poster 2 Small Turnout, Large Problems: An Analysis of Political
Participation in American Large City Mayor Elections
Using turnout in large city mayoral elections as the dependent
variable, this study explores effects of demographics, institutions,
and political culture on participation. Findings show demographics
and political culture have some explanatory power.
Joshua M. Johnson, Creighton University
jmj76858@creighton.edu
Poster 3 George W. Bush,Vladimir Putin and the Geopolitics of the new
Cold War
The US of George W. Bush and the USSR of Vladimir Putin are
faced today in thin, in invisible new Cold War, with its interlace
of the new world-wide order. The China of XXI century with its
expansion trades, in a world-wide scenario where the balance of p
Vincenzo De Vivo, Bologna University
misterdevivo@alice.it
Poster 4 Government Efforts and its Effects on Nationalism and Anti-
Japanese Sentiments in China
My project examines the efforts of the Chinese government,
particularly in education and propaganda, and its effects on
nationalism and anti-Japanese sentiments in youth.
Brandy Au, University of California, Los Angeles
au.brandy@gmail.com
Poster 5 Creating Fuzzy Preference Profiles from Roll Call Data: A Case
Study of the 2000 Lithuanian Seimas
Departing from traditional binary logic, I integrate fuzzy logic into
a formal modeling analysis of the stability of the 2000 Lithuanian
Seimas. I propose several methods of aggregating individual
legislator positions into collective party positions.
Alan J. Hickle, Creighton University
alanhickle@creighton.edu
Poster 6 Disaster Relief and New Policies in Wake of Hurricane Katrina
When Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in August 2005
many problems with disaster relief were brought forward. The
problems associated with disaster relief along with new policies that
should be enacted to prevents repeats.
Jay L. Wendland, Carroll College
wendlaj@hotmail.com
Poster 7 Globalization and the American Income Gap: Assessing the
Impact of Liberal Economics and Immigration on Inequality
Despite enjoying the most rapid economic growth of all large
industrialized nations, inequalities in the distribution of income have
grown faster in the United States than in most developed nations
since the late 1960s. Previous empirical analysis studyin
Simon Tu, Boise State University
simontu@mail.boisestate.edu
Poster 8 Comparing Civil Society Organizations in Muslim Minority
Communities
Based on interviews in seven Muslim communities around the
world, I argue that civil society organizations teach civic and
economic skills but also affirm cultural and religious identities
within non-Muslim majorities.
Nicholas R. Micinski, Michigan State University
micinsk1@msu.edu
Poster 9 Congressional Decision Making: The 2001 USA PATRIOT Act
and 2006 Renewal
This paper examines theories of congressional decision making
using the USA PATRIOT Act and its renewal as case studies. A
content analysis of the Congressional Record and media sources
determines the factors that affected members’ voting decisions.
Mary K. Kierst, Southwestern University
mary.kierst@gmail.com
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16
Not Poor Enough: Delays in Reforming Wisconsin's Public
Defenders System
Thousands of defendants are considered 'not poor enough' to qualify
to qualify for public defenders. This research investigates the
framework of reform through case law and political interview.
Scott J. Resnick, University of Wisconsin, Madison
sjresnick@wisc.edu
Future or Fad: The Effectiveness of Truth Commissions in
Democratic Transitions
Truth commissions are often used in democratic transitions, but
how effective are they in aiding democratic transitions I examine
19 cases of truth commissions in democratic transitions to identify
variables related to effective transitions.
Corinne M. Staggs, Bowling Green State University
cstaggs@bgsu.edu
When Superpowers Collide: China, the United States, &
Foreign Currency Reserves
This paper uses simple modeling and utility functions to examine
the possible outcomes of Chinese liquidation of foreign currency
reserves and its affect on the United States currency.
Nicholas C. Ashburn, Belmont University
ashburnn@pop.belmont.edu
Corporate Ownership of Broadcast Networks and Media Bias
An examination of corporate influence on media broadcasts,
this study observes three networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC), their
respective corporate owners (Disney, Viacom, and General Electric),
and five media companies under each owner for five years.
Aaron M. Krolikowski, University at Buffalo
amk43@buffalo.edu
Ryan E. Daniels, University, Buffalo
red5@buffalo.edu
Historical Comparative Study of Emerging Hegemonic
Behavior: Perpectives on China
This study draws from historical hegemonic lessons in predicting
China's future behavior.
Samuel A. Onyegam, University of Arkansas, Little Rock
saonyegam@ualr.edu
Female Voters in the 2004 Presidential Election
This research examines voter turnout in the 2004 presidential
election and finds married women voting more than other groups.
Tara L. Fircak, American University
tf8889a@american.edu
Old Enough: Constructing Responsibility in juvenile Courts
This study explores how court actors construct juvenile
responsibility and theories of childhood during the intake phase of
juvenile court cases.
Clare Ryan, Macalester College
cryan@macalester.edu
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