2006 Conference Program - Midwest Political Science Association

PaperPaperDisc.Culture and Democracy: State, Nationalism, andDemocratization in JapanTakehiko Kojima, Florida International UniversityOverview: The paper addresses the question why democracy putdown roots in Japan by examining a process through whichculturally heterogeneous communities are integrated into apolitical community through state making, nation-building, anddemocratization.The European Union and Democratization in Turkey,Poland, and SpainEngin I. Erdem, Florida International UniversityOverview: This paper examines the question that whether, how,and under what conditions prospective EuropeanCommunity/Union membership has played role, if any, for thedemocratization processes of Turkey, Poland, and Spain?Jennifer M. Cyr, Florida International University5-11 INSTITUTIONS AND CONSTITUTIONALISSUES IN EUROPERoomChairPaperPaperPaperDisc.TBA, Sat 8:30 amLeone Niglia, University of AberdeenOld Europe's New ConstitutionalismKirk Buckman, Catholic University of AmericaOverview: This paper considers current parliamentary proposalson constitutional reform in the United Kingdom, France,Germany, Italy and Belgium from historical institutional andsocial choice perspectives.Citizenship in Federal Polities: Comparing Austria,Germany and SwitzerlandClaus Hofhansel, Rhode Island CollegeOverview: In Austria, Germany, and Switzerland subnationalauthorities have the responsibility to implement nationalcitizenship laws. This paper analyzes the extent to which effortsto harmonize naturalization criteria and procedures havesucceeded.Ally or Adversary? Ideological and InstitutionalDeterminants of OversightChristine S. Lipsmeyer, University of MissouriHeather N. Pierce, University of MissouriOverview: This paper examines the institutional constraints thatdetermine whether coalition governments use legislative orexecutive level oversight mechanisms to monitor ideologicallydivergent ministers in policy-making activities.Galya B. Ruffer, DePaul University7-7 PARTY SYSTEMS:INSTITUTIONALIZATION AND CHANGERoomChairPaperPaperPaperTBA, Sat 8:30 amMarisa A. Kellam, Institute for Quantitative Social ScienceParty System Transformation: Conceptualizing theVenezuelan CaseJana Morgan Kelly, University of TennesseeOverview: This paper develops a conceptualization party systemtransformation and then employs the concept in an analysis ofthe radical change in the Venezuelan party system from theconsolidation of the country's 2.5-party system in 1973 throughthe present.After the Conflicts Emergence of Party Systems in ElSalvador and GuatemalaAnnabella España Nájera, University of Notre DameOverview: To explain the party systems of new democracies,we must include in our explanation of party systems "regimetransitions", including an understanding of the actors involved,their balance of power and the strategies pursued.Living Without Daddy: The Transformation of the PRI'sParty StructureFrederic K. Cady, University of MiamiOverview: I examine how the PRI in Mexico has reformed itsparty structure after losing national power. My argument is thatthose who obtained leadership positions within the party haveused the party structure as a vehicle to advance their careerinterests.PaperDisc.The Inexistent Party System in Guatemala: Implications forDemocracyOmar Sanchez, Iowa State UniversityOverview: This essay will gauge the degree ofinstitutionalization of the Guatemalan party system.Erika Moreno, University of IowaCarlos Pereira, Michigan State University7-203 INFORMAL ROUNDTABLE:PARTICIPATION AND PUBLIC OPINION INLATIN AMERICARoomTBA, Sat 8:30 amPresenter Socio-Political Participation of Mexican CitizensTaeeun Min, University of IowaOverview: This paper examines how Mexican citizens' sociopoliticalparticipation relates to socioeconomic factors anddemocratic attitudes. This paper also explores how much theirparticipation behavior has been changed as the country has beendemocratized.Presenter Media Effects on Public Opinion and Political Action inMilitary-Ruled BrazilElizabeth A. Stein, University of California, Los AngelesOverview: In this paper I test traditional U.S.-based models ofmedia effects on public opinion in the context of military-ruledBrazil.7-204 INFORMAL ROUNDTABLE: AN ETHICALU.S. - LATIN AMERICAN POLICYRoom TBA, Sat 8:30 amPresenter Toward an Ethical US-Latin American Policy in the ThirdMillenniumPeter M. Sanchez, Loyola University, ChicagoMegan A. Sholar, Loyola University, ChicagoOverview: In this article we examine US-Latin Americanrelations, concluding that now is the time for the United Statesto formulate an ethical foreign policy toward the region.8-9 NORTHEAST ASIAN FOREIGN POLICYRoomChairPaperPaperPaperPaperTBA, Sat 8:30 amWon K. Paik, Central Michigan UniversityDemocratization and Reconciliation: A Case of SouthKorea and JapanYangmo Ku, George Washington UniversityOverview: The deeper institutionalization of democratic valuesin South Korea has accelerated South Korea’s communicationwith Japan at governmental and nongovernmental levels,thereby contributing to their efforts at bilateral reconciliationwith Japan.South Korea’s Balancing Act: How to keep the U.S. andNorth Korea HappySusan Suh, Georgetown UniversityOverview: Since the last nuclear crisis, Seoul’s perception ofthe North Korean threat has changed. No longer seen as atraditional military threat, ROK fear that DPRK will be mostdestabilizing if it has nothing to lose.Political-Bureaucratic Struggles Over Japanese Aid PolicyMary M. McCarthy, Columbia UniversityOverview: This research examines Japanese foreign aid policytowards China as the product of Japanese political-bureaucraticrelations and electoral politics.When the Cold War Broke on the Korean Peninsula:Sunshine on US PolicyColin A. Moore, University of California, IrvineOverview: South Korean President Kim Dae Jung's SunshinePolicy finally supplanted the Cold War structure as the primaryinfluence upon U.S. North Korean policy following therealization of the June 2000 inter-Korean summit.189