2006 Conference Program - Midwest Political Science Association

Saturday, April 22 – 10:30 am – 12:15 pm2-11 INEQUALITY, REVOLUTION AND VALUES-- EVIDENCE FROM THE WORLD VALUESSURVEYRoomChairPaperPaperPaperPaperPaperDisc.TBA, Sat 10:30 amLawrence Mayer, Texas Tech UniversitySupport for Revolution in Mass PublicsKarl Kaltenthaler, University of AkronRonald Gelleny, Rhodes CollegeOverview: This paper aims at diagnosing change in ideologicalspace and its impact on parties' electoral fortunes in the contextof Turkish politics.Explaining Individual-Level Attitudes Toward Income(In)EqualityStephen Ceccoli, Rhodes CollegeKarl Kaltenthaler, University of AkronOverview: This study seeks to explain individual-level variationin attitudes toward public policies that shape income(in)equality. The paper develops and tests several distinctexplanations for individual-level respondents across fivecontinents.Economic Inequality and NationalismFrederick Solt, Southern Illinois University, CarbondaleOverview: Does economic inequality lead to nationalism?More unequal states may appeal to nationalism to preemptdemands for redistribution. This paper finds strong support forthis hypothesis among the citizens of the advanced industrialdemocracies.Economic Inequality and Attitudes toward Homosexualityin Cross-national PerspectiveRobert A. Andersen, McMaster UniversityTina Fetner, McMaster UniversityOverview: This paper uses cross-national data to evaluate therole of economic inequality-both within nations and acrossnations-and democracy in determining tolerance forhomosexuality.It's Not the Economy, Stupid! Life Satisfaction and PoliticalParticipationBenjamin Freeman, Texas A&M UniversityOverview: Using data from the World Values Survey Idemonstrate that subjective life satisfaction has a negative effecton political participation and the impact of life satisfaction isfound to be stronger than economic determinants ofparticipation.Timothy T. Hellwig, University of Houston3-21 COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OFDECENTRALIZATION IN INDONESIARoomChairPaperPaperPaperTBA, Sat 10:30 amNicolaus T. Harjanto, Northern Illinois UniversitySocial Welfare Provisions in IndonesiaEunsook Jung, University of Wisconsin, MadisonOverview: This paper will examine how Islamic massorganizations engaged in social welfare provision serve as thebasis of political parties and explain how informal webs ofsocial welfare provision affect social policy making of the state.Thailand and Indonesia: the Case for (and Against)DecentralizationJacob I. Ricks, Northern Illinois UniversityOverview: This paper is a discussion about the benefits anddisadvantages of decentralization using two countries: Thailandand Indonesia.Decentralization and Territorial Politics in IndonesiaEhito Kimura, University of Wisconsin, MadisonOverview: This paper explores changes in Indonesia’s territorialadministration in the wake of its democratization anddecentralization reforms. It draws concepts from politicalgeography and frames the recent increase in sub-national unitsin the context of domes.PaperPaperDisc.Decentralization and Anti-Corruption Efforts: Indonesiaand PhilippinesPhilips J. Vermonte, Northern Illinois UniversityOverview: This paper explains and analyzes how the NGOs, inthe framework of decentralization structure, fight corruption inIndonesia and the Philippines.Decentralization's Effect on Minorities: The Other Side ofDecentralizationTobias Basuki, Northern Illinois UniversityOverview: One of decentralization’s main purposes is toprovide a better political and cultural freedom for minorities.However in heterogeneous countries, the implementation ofdecentralization can have adverse effects towards minorities.Dwight Y. King, Northern Illinois University3-23 CLIENTALISM AND SOCIAL SERVICEPROVISIONRoomChairPaperPaperPaperPaperPaperDisc.TBA, Sat 10:30 amMaqsood A. Choudary, Delta CollegeReconsidering "Cultural Institutions" in Development: ACase in Rural IndiaMary E. Breeding, American UniversityOverview: This paper addresses the role of political culture,specifically the role of ethnic identity, and institutions in publicservice delivery using data from a specific example in UttarPradesh and Bihar, India.Political Particularism and Public Service SpendingAllen Hicken, University of Michigan, Ann ArborJoel W. Simmons, University of Michigan, Ann ArborOverview: How do incentives to cultivate a personal vote affectspending on public services, particularly spending on educationand health care projects and how do incentives to cultivate apersonal vote affect the quality of life of citizens?Principal-Agent Theory and Political Market Failure: AUnified Electoral Theory of Rent-Seeking, Pork-Barrelingand ClientelismMona M. Lyne, University of South Carolina, ColumbiaRoyce Carroll, University of California, San DiegoOverview: We present a unified principle-agent framework toexplain the political market failures that create incentives forrent-seeking, pork-barreling, and clientelism with applicationsto contemporary and historical cases of developingdemocracies.A Resource Model of Clientelism: Provincial-level AnalysisMegumi Naoi, University of California, San DiegoOverview: This paper develops a resource-based theory for whypoliticians engage in one form of clientelistic exchange overothers. It tests whether two types of “favoritism” given toprovinces in Thailand since 1990—investment privileges andtransfers—are coPolitical Feasibility of Poverty Alleviation ProgramsChristian Ponce de Leon, University of ChicagoOverview: This paper presents a model of redistributive taxationin democratic regimes where voters decide the size of thebudget and its allocation between two social policies: universalassistance programs and targeted poverty alleviation programs.Wonik Kim, Louisiana State University4-14 DISSENT AND POLITICAL MOBILIZATIONIN ASIARoomChairPaperTBA, Sat 10:30 amMahendra Lawoti, Western Michigan UniversityDemocracy Without Defenders: Tolerant but Alienated Elitein NepalMahendra Lawoti, Western Michigan UniversityOverview: The study finds that the Nepali elite were tolerant butalienated from the democratic system. It partly explains the lackof widespread protests initially against the dismissal of theelected government by the King in 2002.203