2008 Conference Program - Midwest Political Science Association

Sunday, April 6-10:00 am
7-15 THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: ELECTORAL
BEHAVIOR AND PARTY COHESION
Room UEH 410 on the 4th Floor, Sun at 10:00 am
Chair Amie Kreppel, University of Florida
kreppel@ces.ufl.edu
Paper If Things Can Only Get Worse: Anticipating Enlargement in
EU Decision-Making
This paper analyzes anticipation effects in legislative politics.
Estimating count and survival models we show how the perspective
of enlargement impacts on EU decision-making.
Dirk Leuffen, ETH, Zurich
dirk.leuffen@eup.gess.ethz.ch
Robin Hertz, University of Zurich
robin.hertz@eup.gess.ethz.ch
Paper News and Euroskeptic Voting in the 2004 European Parliament
Elections
This study adresses news coverage of euroskeptic parties in
25 member states of the EU during the 2004 EP elections and
investigates effects of this coverage on citizens' support for these
parties.
Hajo G. Boomgaarden, University of Amsterdam
H.Boomgaarden@uva.nl
Claes de Vreese, University of Amsterdam
C.H.deVreese@uva.nl
Paper Which Euroskepticism The Impact of Electoral Context and
Voter Ideologies on Defection and Abstention in EP Elections
An investigation into the differing impacts of various kinds of
euroskepticism on EP election turnout and vote behavior, with
special attention paid to the conditional effects of national electoral
context.
Charles J. Doriean, University of Michigan
cdoriean@umich.edu
Paper The Impact of EU Expansion on Cohesion in the European
Parliament
This paper assesses the effect of the 2004 EU expansion towards
the East on the cohesion of the party groups in the European
Parliament. In doing so it will rely on the study of more than 1400
roll-call votes from 2005-2006.
Emanuel Emil Coman, University of North Carolina
ecoman@email.unc.edu
Disc. Amie Kreppel, University of Florida
kreppel@ces.ufl.edu
9-18 LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN EAST ASIA
Room PDR 4 on the 3rd Floor, Sun at 10:00 am
Chair Robert B. Albritton, University of Mississippi
ralbritt@olemiss.edu
Paper Economic Inequality in the ‘Democratic’ Nepal: Dimensions
and Implications
Examines the changing economic inequality landscape during the
years of parliamentary democracy in Nepal. Increasing vertical and
horizontal inequality especially along geographic and caste/ethnic
lines help explain the ongoing political conflict.
Udaya Wagle, Western Michigan University
udaya.wagle@wmich.edu
Paper Government Spending and Education Achievements in Japan’s
Prefectures
The pattern of government expenditure on education in Japan has
changed over the years. This paper tries to discover the impacts of
this change on the performance level of secondary school students
in Japan’s 47 prefectures.
Tomoaki Nomi, Southeast Missouri State University
tnomi@semo.edu
Paper
Paper
Paper
Disc.
Taking Back the Neighborhood: Homeownership and
Grassroots Governance
The paper argues that urban conflict in Chinese communities can
be explained by rights awareness that stems from citizens new
status as property owners. It finds evidence of a connection between
homeownership and participation in governance.
Jason G. Tower, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
jtower@umich.edu
Systemic Vulnerability and the Origins of the Korean Welfare
State
This paper argues that the puzzling aspects of the Korean welfare
state--low levels of expenditure, fragmentation and limited
coverage, and introduction from the top--can be explained by the
unique interactive condition of "systemic vulnerability."
Eungsoo Kim, University of Chicago
ekim@uchicago.edu
Explaining the Performance of Autonomous Regional
Governments Using the Open Systems Perspective: The Case of
the Philippines’ Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
The paper analyzes the performance of the autonomous regional
government in Muslim Mindanao, Philippines, using an open
systems perspective. It assesses the impact of social, political,
cultural, and economic factors on government performance.
Benedict Salazar Jimenez, University of Illinois, Chicago
bjimen2@uic.edu
Peng Liu, Chinese University of Hong Kong
pengliu@cuhk.edu.hk
9-19 ALLIANCES IN ASIA
Room UEH 412 on the 4th Floor, Sun at 10:00 am
Chair Wen-Yang Chang, Claremont Graduate University
wenyangc@msn.com
Paper Japanese Nationalism and the U.S.-Japan Alliance
This paper will analyze japanese nationalism by using the opinion
polls that have been poorly utilized. It will indicate the nature of the
nationalism. Then it will comperhend how such a nationalism will
affect japanese alliance with the US.
Fumiko Sasaki, St. Edwards University
fumikosasaki@aol.com
Paper Asian Perception of the U.S. Influence
By using the 2003 AsiaBarometer survey, this paper examines
the factors that contribute to individuals’ positive or negative
perceptions about the U.S. influence in Asia.
Jessica Gagnon, University of Central Florida
jgagnon@mail.ucf.edu
Myunghee Kim, University of Central Florida
myukim@mail.ucf.edu
Disc. Ting Chang, West Virginia University
ting02122000@hotmail.com
10-6 POLITICS OF IDENTITY IN AFRICA
Room UEH 400 on the 4th Floor, Sun at 10:00 am
Chair Emmanuel Nwadinobi Uwalaka, St. Louis University
uwalakaen@slu.edu
Paper Ethnicity and the Myth of National Unity: Lessons from Kenya
and Uganda
Due to the multi-ethnic, multi-regional and multi-religious nature
of Africa’s inherited political systems, African leaders seem to be
obsessed with and paranoid about national unity, which has forced
them to pursue policies that are undemocratic.
Joshua M. Kivuva, University of Pittsburgh
joshuakivuva@hotmail.com
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