2008 Conference Program - Midwest Political Science Association

Thursday, April 3-4:45 pm
Paper
Paper
Disc.
Complying with Signals: The Effect of Voter Approval of Bond
Measures on Deficit Spending
In this paper, I test multiple hypotheses related to compliance with
voter signals on deficit spending. I look at the relationship between
approval of local bond measures and changes of non-guaranteed
debt and tax-exempt lease obligations.
Ellen C. Moule, University of California, San Diego
emoule@ucsd.edu
Social Trust, Competence, and Size: Understanding Local
Political Trust
Trust in local government is conditioned by population size. When
population is small, social trust is important. As towns get larger,
competence issues matter more. Theory is tested using hierarchical
linear modeling and small town survey data.
Daniel C. Bowen, University of Iowa
daniel-bowen@uiowa.edu
Jessica Trounstine, Princeton University
jtrounst@princeton.edu
47-17 POLICY AND POLITICS IN LEGISLATURES
Room UEH 405 on the 4th Floor, Thur at 4:45 pm
Chair Karen Mossberger, University of Illinois, Chicago
mossberg@uic.edu
Paper Position Taking in Congress: The Political Calculus of
Proposing Constitutional Amendments
We examine constitutional amendments introduced in the past
thirty-five years and argue that members propose constitutional
amendments as a form of position-taking aimed at gaining political
benefits even when no policy change is anticipated.
Susan Johnson, University of Wisconin, Whitewater
johnsons@uww.edu
Jolly A. Emrey, University of Wisconsin, Whitewater
emreyj@uww.edu
Paper Preserving the Initiative: Legislative Response to Direct
Democracy
Drawing on survey and interview data, I find that rather than
“stealing the initiative,” legislators are deferential toward the
initiative process. The study offers a correction to the literature on
legislative response to direct democracy.
Kathleen Ferraiolo, James Madison University
ferraikm@jmu.edu
Paper Partisan Concerns of a Bipartisan Bill: Explaining No Child
Left Behind
The No Child Left Behind Act (2002) serves as a case study for why
bipartisan bills are not always optimal. The desire for bipartisanship
over the reauthorization of ESEA traded off with concerns over
implementation and involving necessary actors.
Marissa Anne Silber, University of Florida
silber@ufl.edu
Disc. Karen Mossberger, University of Illinois, Chicago
mossberg@uic.edu
49-5 ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES
Room Salon 7 on the 3rd Floor, Thur at 4:45 pm
Chair Elizabeth Erin Wheat, Western Michigan University
elizabeth.e.wheat@wmich.edu
Paper Recycling Behavior Among Urban South Africans: The Role of
Race and Social Status
This is a study of recycling among urban African and non-African
households in South Africa, using data collected in 2003. The
role of social status and race are examined, as well as role of the
presence of schoolchildren in the household.
Barbara A. Anderson, University of Michigan
barba@umich.edu
John H. Romani, University of Michigan
jhromani@umich.edu
Marie Wentzel, Human Sciences Research Council
mewentzel@hsrc.ac.za
Heston Phillips, Statistics South Africa
hestonp@statssa.gov.za
Paper Unequal Protection: African Americans’ Call for
Environmental Justice
This paper argues that legal and political strategies of African-
American environmental groups differ from those of mainstream
groups. Their concern is predominantly with health concerns, rather
than moral issues when fighting environmental racism.
Elizabeth Erin Wheat, Western Michigan University
elizabeth.e.wheat@wmich.edu
Paper
Compensation Policy and Environmental Justice: The An-Shun
Plant Case
In this paper, the compensation policy for the polluted community
of the An-Shun Plant was studied. The purpose of this paper was to
examine whether the compensation policy making was consistent
with environmental justice.
Yungnane Yang, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan
yungnane@mail.ncku.edu.tw
50-5 PRIVATIZATION
Room Suite 13-150 on the 13th Floor, Thur at 4:45 pm
Chair Donald Racheter, Public Interest Institute
racheter@limitedgovernment.org
Paper Does Competition Increase Vendor Performance in the Social
Services
This research will examine 341 social service contracts in Florida
to see if competitively procured contracts are associated with better
vendor performance, as defined by adherence to contract terms, than
their noncompetitively procured counterparts.
Scott Lamothe, University of Okalahoma
slamothe@ou.edu
Meeyoung Lamothe, University of Okalahoma
mlamothe@ou.edu
Paper
Paper
Disc.
Overlooked Dimensions: Sectors and Ethics
The New Public Management paradigm and its focus on contracting
has been cast as a natural solution to problems rather than an
ideological response. However, contracting decisions are also
ethical decisions that differ according to sector.
LeAnn Beaty, Northern Illinois University
leann_beaty@hotmail.com
Examining TANF Privatization and Performance Across the
American States
This paper examines state-level variation in the private-contracting
of welfare services and the relationship between privatization and
bureaucratic performance in TANF implemenation.
Adam M Butz, University of Kentucky
abutz@uky.edu
John Rohr, Virginia Polytechnic Institute
jrohr@vt.edu
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